My Fair Hanyou
by InuyashaPuppyDog
Summary: Chaos everywhere - Kagome tries to civilize Inuyasha, His teenage son is looking for his place in the world, Sango & Miroku are violently torn apart, Sesshoumaru is being his typical pain, Rin is torn - what's a hanyou to do? 3rd story of "Who's That Girl
1. Celebration, Tears, and Memories

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter One

Celebration, Tears, and Memories

The villagers cheered the new husband and wife with boisterous ferver,

"CONGRATULATIONS KOHAKU AND NARA!"

"WOO HOO!"

"LET'S HERE IT FOR THE NEW COUPLE!"

Rice and flower petals showered them. Kohaku was grinning from ear to ear and his beautiful bride, Nara, blushed at all the commotion. The couple pushed their way through the throng of villagers and proceeded to the lake shore,

"Lady Kagome?", called out Kohaku, "Where would you like us to stand?"

Kagome approached and began setting up the wedding party. Satisfied with their positions, she went back and stood behind a metal tripod,

"Now - SMILE everyone ..."

FLASH

She proceeded with a few more shots before telling the group she was done. Nara and Kohaku came over to her after the group dispersed,

"Lady Kagome, that picture maker is amazing.", gushed Nara.

"It's called a camera, Nara. It is amazing. You know, I wouldn't have used it if there were outsiders here. The villagers accept the strange items that I bring back from my world", Kagome smiled.

"How does it work?", Kohaku asked, turning the camera over and over.

"Well, this one is a digital style camera. I'm not really technology savvy so, I couldn't really explain it to you. But, basically,", she pulled out the SD card, "the image is saved on this little thing and then I put it in a special box, called a computer, and it takes the images off. Then I can make the pictures that you see.", she explained.

"Amazing.", Kohaku murmured.

"Will they be in a book like the one you showed us?", Nara asked.

"Yes, I'll put all the pictures I take today in a book and give it to you. That's my wedding present to you along with the futon bed."

Nara hugged and kissed her, "Thank you so much, Lady Kagome. You've been the absolute best!"

"Yes, thank you, Lady Kagome", Kohaku agreed.

Kagome hugged Kohaku as well, "You two get going. The feast is about to start."

The couple turned to go. Nara spun around, "Oh, before I forget ..."

Kagome looked at her, "Yes?"

Nara took off a small orchid corsage that was on her dress, "Sango picked this for me. Could you please take it to Lady Kaede's gravesite? I feel very indebted to her for helping us through our rocky times.", Nara smiled.

Kagome smiled,"Of course. I would be delighted.", she said, taking the flower from the girl.

Nara smiled and then bounced happily away with Kohaku on her arm. Kagome watched them leave before she started snapping random shots around the village to add to the couples' wedding album. She lowered the camera as her nose picked up a familar scent,

"What's that?", Inuyasha asked, his mouth stuffed with food.

"I see you've hit the feast. Got enough food there?", she eyed the piled-high plate.

Inuyasha swallowed, "Naaah. Needs some instant stuff."

"Village women slaved for nearly a week preparing this food and, all you can say is, it needs instant stuff?."

He shrugged, "So, whaddya have?"

"This?", she held up the orchid.

"Uh-huh."

"An orchid."

Inuyasha stopped the chopsticks halfway to his open mouth. Putting the chopsticks down he gave her his "Don't be a smartass." look, "No shit!", he replied.

"Ask a stupid question get a stupid answer.", Kagome admonished.

He sighed an exasperated sigh, "Isn't that Nara's orchid?", he reclarified.

"Yes.", Kagome answered, emphatically, "And she requested that I place it on Lady Kaede's gravesite."

Inuyasha chewed his food thoughtfully, "Makes sense. She managed to keep them rational during their arguments."

"They did argue alot, didn't they?", Kagome recalled.

"Yea. Amazing, when you think of it. If two people care for each other so deeply why do they argue? It just doesn't make any sense.", he finished and stuffed some more food in his mouth.

Kagome's eyes widened and she tilted her head to peer up at her mate, dubiously, at his comment. She shook her head at him, "I can't believe you just said that."

Inuyasha finished his food, "I'll take it up."

"Huh?", Kagome looked at him, a bit surprised.

"The flower. I'll take it up to Kaede's grave. That way you can take more pictures."

Kagome smiled appreciatively, "Thank you, Inuyasha. That's very kind and considerate of you."

"Don't go getting all emotional. Geez.", Inuyasha muttered.

Kagome smiled and kissed his cheek, "Thanks.", she said again then disappeared into the crowd.

Inuyasha placed the plate and chopsticks on a nearby table and headed to the shrine steps that led to the gravesites of the two priestess sisters, Kikyou and Kaede. As he passed by Kaede's old hut, he noticed the peach-colored rosebush, planted by Kikyou years ago, was blooming beautifully. He stopped and snipped off a bud with his claws and sniffed its sweet fragrance. His mind sailed back to an earlier time and the woman whom he had first loved.

He climbed the stairs slowly, deeply lost in thought. Reaching the apex, he stood in front of the tall monument that marked Kikyou's resting place. He reached out and touched the marble slab, feeling the smooth surface. He stared at it for a moment, letting his fingers play over the stone. He felt, still, a twinge of guilt in his heart over his love's too early demise,

"Kikyou. I know your remains are not here but, I think your spirit is. I hope you are at peace. Wherever you are. Thank you for all you gave me. I will never forget you."

He placed the rosebud in front of the grave, thankful for Kaede's explanation of the meaning of human gravesites. He took a deep breath and walked over to the slightly smaller monument and placed the orchid in front of it,

"Old Kaede. I still can't believe you're gone. The village isn't the same without you. I know Kagome's still finding it hard to fit into the role of the chief healer but, you taught her well. Rest in peace, my old friend."

He patted the smaller marble stone and turned around, walking slowly down the steps to return to the celebration below.

--

Kagome headed toward her house and noticed Sango sitting quietly on the porch to her home. The sadness in her friend's eyes broke Kagome's heart. She walked over,

"May I sit down, Sango?"

Sango looked up, "Of course, Kagome."

"It was a great wedding, wasn't it?", Kagome started the conversation.

"Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. You are amazing, Kagome. How do you do it all? Healer, priestess, wife, mother. And you can create a wonderful, festive atmosphere!", Sango raved.

"You run the teahouse. And, your garden is waaaay better than mine will ever be. How do you manage to get ALL the weeds?", Kagome put her arm around Sango's shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.

Tears started to run down Sango's face, "Maybe ... just maybe ...if I had listened to Miroku ... if I had taken it easier ...", Sango's tears turned into full blown sobs.

Kagome hugged her tightly, "It wasn't your fault, Sango. It wasn't anybody's fault. Even in my world, your condition is very difficult to treat without the proper equipment. Placenta Previa is horrible, by any standard. We had no idea that the baby's placenta was at the bottom of your womb. I feel really bad because I put your life in danger by opening up your womb and I still couldn't save the baby. Granted, in the end, I needed to have your belly open to save your life. I'm sorry I couldn't stop the bleeding. The placenta had completely ripped apart your womb and ..."

"Don't Kagome. Don't blame yourself. I understand why you removed my womb. Really, I do. I know I should just be grateful that I gave Miroku 8 healthy children. But, I still feel that maybe he blames me because I can no longer have any children."

"Sango, that's absolutely wrong. Miroku would never blame you for something like that. He's not that type of man. He loves you and he's just extremely happy that you're alive. He wants to grow old with you. It's very common what you are feeling. Women define themselves by motherhood and, now, you've lost that ability to bear children. Give it time, it will become less painful as time goes by. And, yes, be happy and enjoy the children you have."

Sango wiped the tears off her face and sniffed deeply,

"Thank you, Kagome. You and Inuyasha have always been the greatest of friends.", Sango wrapped her arms around Kagome's neck and hugged her tightly.

--

Miroku watched the two women from afar,

"Another womanly gab fest.", he heard Inuyasha comment as he came and stood beside the monk.

"I don't think so, Inuyasha. Sango was crying.", Miroku said, turning away from the scene.

Inuyasha looked at his friend, solemnly. He had no words to say to comfort his friend so he decided to just remain beside him and say nothing. Miroku filled the silence,

"She hates me. I know it.", he muttered.

"No she doesn't hate you.", Inuyasha scowled, "Where didja ever get that crazy idea?"

"It's been a year, Inuyasha, since she lost the baby. A year! And, we've barely talked, let alone be intimate.", Miroku sighed, "She keeps herself busy with the children and the house. Everything that a wife does, except ..."

"Miroku.", Inuyasha tried to relay some sense of sympathy into his friend's name, "She just needs more time. Kagome says that women in her era suffer like that too. Something called post ... pardon ...compression or something or other. According to Kagome, her body was expecting to have a baby to care for but, instead the baby died. Her body hasn't readjusted yet ..."

"I know. I know. Kagome's told me that, too."

Inuyasha sighed, "Look. It may not be much but ... drop the brats over at our house for the night. Or two. With Kohaku outta the house, see if not having them around gives you two the chance to, maybe, talk, at least."

Miroku looked up, "All eight of them?"

"You act like it's unusual. Unless you've forgotten, your small army ends up at our place anyway. I never know from day to day how many pups will be in that house."

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I ... just don't want to put too much pressure on Kagome and you. I don't want to drop my problems in your lap."

"Too late."

Miroku grinned slightly and stared at his staff, "After the party?", he looked at his friend.

"You want a time? Geez, you're picky. Just let them follow the pups home like they always do. Then, Sango can't accuse us of some kind of conspiracy."

Miroku chuckled slightly, "At least you won't have to feed them."

"HA! You wanna bet? The feast will be gone and we'll still have 5 pups whining "I'm hungry" before bed. Your crew will simply join in."

Miroku smiled and agreed, "Thanks, Inuyasha. Really."

"Pffft. Let it go, monk. It's no big deal."

--

Later, Inuyasha walked up to Kagome and told her to expect the monk's crew. Kagome agreed it was a good idea,

"By the way, have you noticed?", she asked him, nodding her head slightly towards the hill.

"Yea, I pick up his smell. I know he's there.", Inuyasha grumbled.

"So? Go talk to him."

"WHY? Why should I go up the hill and talk to Sesshoumaru? Is he too good to enter the village and talk to ME?"

"Maybe he's not here for you. Kohaku DID travel with him for a while."

"And Rin DID break off with Kohaku and rejoin Sesshoumaru - breaking Kohaku's heart."

"He looks REAL heartbroken, Inuyasha.", she smiled, eyeing the dancing couple.

"Ok. Ok. It's been six years since Rin took off. He WAS heartbroken at the time."

"Nara filled that hole pretty quickly."

"HMPH!", was all Inuyasha said.

Kagome smiled again before returning her eyes to Sesshoumaru. She could tell he was alone. After Inuyasha drifted off, she made her way up the hill,

"Why don't you go down and see Kohaku?", she asked the daiyoukai.

"I have no need for ningen celebrations.", he replied.

"I never said you did. You obviously aren't here to see Inuyasha. That leaves Kohaku. So? Go see him instead of observing off in the distance."

Sesshoumaru said nothing as he continued to stare off into the village. He started walking down the hill. Kagome gazed at his retreating back in disbelief,

"We really need to work on your people skills.", she said into the night.

--

The night wore on, the fires died out and the revelers headed inside. Back at the house, Kagome and Inuyasha set beds out for everybody. Inuyasha warmed up some sweet dumplings and tea, setting them out for the kids to devour. Kagome took a count of everybody,

She located Miroku's 15 year old daughter, Suki, sitting in the corner of the main room beside her 14 year old sister, Cho, working on a jigsaw puzzle. Her own son, 13 year old Kai, was playing with his Nintendo DS. Miroku's 12 year old son, Mikito, was playing with a maze game. Miroku's 11 year old son, Reiji, and 9 year old daughter, Tae, were busy playing a game of chinese checkers. She found her daughters, 10 year old Izayoi and 7 year old Shiori, in the girls' bedroom watching "Pokemon" on the portable DVD player with Miroku's 8 year old son, Junji.

Heading back into the main room, she saw her oldest son, 14 year old Shinta, walk inside with his faithful companion, a six year old black fuzzy dog named Ronin, by his side. Behind the dog, Miroku's other two children, his 5 year old daughter, Sakura, and 3 year old son, Shiro, entered the house with Kagome and Inuyasha's youngest, their 3 year old son, Kanta, bringing up the rear. All in all, a perfectly normal, Feudal Era household, if that household happened to have the ability to time travel 500 years into the future..

Shiori came sprinting out of the bedroom passing her father,

"Where's the fire?", he asked her.

Shiori reached into a box in the kitchen and pulled out some cylinders,

"Need batteries for the DVD player, daddy.", she answered, quickly, as she darted past again.

"Good thing we brought back so many this time, Inuyasha.", Kagome observed.

Inuyasha planted himself on the floor and laid his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. Kagome pulled out her knitting and started working on it,

"Mama? Dad?", Shinta came up to them.

"Yes?", Kagome answered. His father just opened his eyes and peered at him.

"I have a question. One of these times, when we go back to the other world, can we visit another country?"

Inuyasha's head shot up. Kagome looked surprised, but, curious, "Sure. Where do you want to go?"

"I don't care. Just someplace where we can ride in those metal birds."

"Metal birds? Oh, airplanes.", Kagome realized, "Sure. We'll see what we can do, honey."

She tousled his silvery-white hair as he grinned a huge grin. He stood up and joined Kai, setting up his own DS to play a head-to-head game with his brother.

"I don't like it.", Inuyasha grumbled.

Kagome sighed, "What don't you like?"

"Getting in one of those metal birds."

"It's called an airplane."

"Whatever."

"Ok, I'll bite ... why don't you like the idea of getting into an airplane. You scared?", she taunted.

"Yea. You gotta problem with that?"

"Least you're being honest."

"I'm not in control. I don't trust being under somebody else's control."

"The pilots are highly trained to fly those planes."

"So, there's never been any accidents with them?", he asked, his voice hopeful, yet, child-like.

Kagome stopped her knitting in mid-knit, "Uhhhhhhh ..."

"Just what I thought.", he huffed.

"Inuyasha. Accidents happen. It's a part of life."

"And, if I'm in control and I get into an accident then it is my responsibility. Whose responsible if these pilots get into an accident? Them?"

"It all depends."

"On what?"

"On what CAUSED the accident."

"I don't like that answer.", he huffed again.

"Sorry. That's all I can give you. Besides, flying's fun."

Inuyasha grumbled.

Kagome muttered softly, "You're getting old, Inuyasha."

"I heard that! I am not!", he yawned, "Geez, I'm beat. Let's get these guys to bed."

"I'm with you.", she agreed, putting away her knitting.

Kagome stood up beside Inuyasha when they heard Miroku's voice outside, followed by Sango's anguished sobs,

"BUT, SANGO, PLEASE, LISTEN TO ME!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Kagome noticed, almost instantly, how Miroku's and Sango's brood reacted, stopping what they were doing and just staring at nothing. She hadn't realized just how serious it really was between the couple. Inuyasha had already headed out the door. She listened to the conversation,

"Miroku, what happened?", Inuyasha demanded to know.

"I'm not sure. She was upset that the kids weren't home. She started crying. I tried, I really tried to comfort her. She just got up and ran away.", his voice was obviously strained.

Kagome walked outside, "Which way to she go? I'll go after her.", she said.

Miroku looked at her pleadingly, "Stay with the kids. I'll go find her."

"Do you want me to go with you, Miroku?", Inuyasha asked his friend.

"No. We need to work this out. I'll go. On my own.", Miroku pulled himself up and headed off in the direction that his wife had taken.

"Is that a good idea?", Kagome asked.

"You wanna argue with him? Be my guest. Besides, Sango won't go that far. Maybe this is what they need. Leave'em alone and let's go to bed.", he turned around and went into the house.

Kagome stared in the direction that Miroku had taken before heading back into the house.


	2. Miroku

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Two

Miroku

Miroku tread carefully through the forest, his eyes trying to focus to the darkness. The towering trees seem to close in on him. His mind compared it to what he believed the Meidou Zangetsuha must be like - a black hole of emptiness. He stopped and listened. He heard leaves rustling and other nerve-wracking sounds. What he couldn't hear was Sango's sobs. He figured she must have traveled further into the words.

Lightning flashed above him and thunder rolled across the sky like herds of horses running off to battle. He said a prayer that the storm would hold off until he found Sango. That was not his fate as the clouds opened up and rain poured down in buckets, drenching him to the very bone. He shivered at the chill and tried to speed up, hoping he could find her in such a torrential storm.

He didn't know how long he had traveled when he finally reached the old swinging bridge. The ground had turned to a quicksand-like substance and his every move was hindered. He was cold, wet, and crying. He had to find Sango - or die trying.

He knew she could have gone in any direction in the forest or she could have found someplace to ride out the storm. Being a trained taijya, she knew how to live off the land. Still, his heart told him to push forward, so, he crossed the bridge carefully.

Crossing the swinging bridge in a torrential downpour is not an easy task. The howling wind caused the bridge to swing wildly from side-to-side and the rain made every step slick. Only the bright flashes of lightning helped him see his way across. Reaching the other side, Miroku sent up a silent prayer of thanks to Buddha, as he rested against a pine tree.

Breathing heavily, Miroku started his search anew. He called out her name, knowing full well it was futile over the pounding rain. He stopped for a moment, why, he did not know. The huge lightning bolt that hit a tree, not 7 feet in front of him, answered his question. He gulped hard as he rubbed his arms to ride himself of the feeling of electricity that had run up and down his body. He was positive that, if his hair wasn't drenched, it would be standing up on end.

The lightning bolt had also revealed something else. After Miroku recovered from the shock, he remembered hearing a shocked scream mere moments after the strike. The next flash revealed the owner of the scream. His eyes focused on Sango's drenched figure.

He ran up to where he had seen her, climbing over the downed tree, still smoking from its violent death. He ran up to his wife and grabbed her, holding her in an embrace tightly, like he would die if he let her go. She sobbed into his chest. Sobs of fear, sadness, regret, loss. He ran his hand over her black hair, whispering in her ear,

"Don't apologize. I understand. Shhh. Sango. Really. I love you. I will never stop loving you. I don't want anymore children. I just want you with me forever. Please, I beg of you. I can't live without you."

Sango's body was racked with sobs and her body shook from them, along with the coldness and wetness that had penetrated her. Miroku rubbed her back up and down, trying his best to comfort her. He finally felt her body stop shaking and her sobs quiet down,

"Are you positive, Miroku?", she asked.

He cupped her pretty face in his hands, "I've never been more sure about anything else in my life. Other than wanting you to marry me."

He kissed her and his heart jumped with joy when she responded. He proceeded to place kisses all over her face. They laughed at the gesture and at their pitiful looking selves,

"Let's go home, Sango."

She nodded, "Yes, let's."

--

Kagome stared at the wall, watching the lightning dance across it. She shivered at the rain pounding on the roof. It had been too long, far too long, since Miroku had left them. Her mind raced with fear,

"They're probably waiting out the storm.", she heard Inuyasha say.

She turned her head to look at him. He was on his right side, his arm under his head,

"You're awake?"

He turned over onto his left side,

"You think I could sleep with you up worrying?"

She smiled at his attempt to hide his concern for Miroku and Sango,

"I'm sorry for keeping you awake, Inuyasha."

"Pfft. Don't worry 'bout me. I don't need the sleep. It's you I'm concerned about."

He pulled her into his arms and she turned to her left side. He laid his head gently on hers as his hand rubbed her right arm. She so much wanted to close her eyes and sleep but, she was afraid. Very afraid.

Inuyasha understood her feelings. He had been worrying about their friends, too. It took every ounce of willpower he could muster to remain in bed beside Kagome and not run out and hunt for them. He wanted to find them and return them to the safety of the village, knowing full well his hanyou strength was far superior to any human. He also was well aware of another fact. With absolutely no idea which direction either of them had gone, the heavy rain would have washed their scents away and he would be just as helpless as the next human. He tightened his grip around Kagome.

--

Sango stared at the swing bridge,

"It wasn't swinging that badly when I crossed it the first time.", she said, her voice filled with fear.

"Don't worry. I'll be right beside you. I won't let you go.", he whispered to her.

They began crossing the bridge together. Miroku noticed the wind had gotten stronger. He silently wondered if they were on the fringes of a cyclone. They held onto the ropes and each other and slowly made their way across. The bridge began to sway harder, knocking them off balance, and forcing them to hold onto the walkway. Working against the wind and rain, they managed to get up on their feet again. They were determined to make it across. Together.

The other side was in their sights. Miroku sighed happily,

'_We're gonna make it_.', he thought.

The sky lit up with another flash of lightning and the thunder boomed overhead. They never heard it.

**CRACK!**

The wood plank underneath them gave way. Sango had made it to the next plank, but, Miroku's feet fell through. He dangled from the bridge, his hands holding onto the plank holding Sango,

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!", he screamed.

"MIROKU! NOOOO!", Sango screamed, falling to her knees.

She grabbed his wrists,

"Grab my wrists!", she screamed out, unsure whether he heard her.

On sheer instinct, when Sango grabbed his wrists, he grabbed hers. His life lay in her hands. He swung underneath the bridge, the wind forcing his wildly changing movements. Sango attempted to pull him up, employing all her strength. Miroku tried not to look up to avoid the rain stinging his eyes. He tried to swing his legs up to get a foothold. He failed. He wanted to scream up to Sango to let him grab the wood plank, but, he knew she wouldn't hear him.

His body felt something. He couldn't register in his mind what it was. He looked up, blinking fiercely at the rain. Then he heard it. Very slight, but, still, he heard it. He knew now what it was. He swallowed, wondering why Buddha chose now to keep the thunder quiet. He screamed up at Sango,

"SANGO! RELEASE ME!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY? NO!"

"SANGO! THE PLANK YOU'RE ON ... IT'S BREAKING! LET ME GO! YOU MUST!"

Sango realized her predicament. If she stayed, they both would fall and surely die, leaving eight orphans at the village. She started crying again. How could she just release him and send her husband to his death?

Miroku answered that question for her. Realizing she wasn't releasing him, he released her wrists,

"MIROKU! NO! PLEASE!", she cried out to him.

"I LOVE YOU, SANGO. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT. AND TELL THE KIDS I LOVE THEM. TELL THEM ..."

He never got to finish. Sango lost her grip on him in the rain and she watched him fall,

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MIROKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU**!", she screamed out his name.

Miroku closed his eyes,

'_Sango. Never forget me. It's better this way. Buddha. I entrust my life to you, now. Father. I will see you soon_.'

Sango stared into the depths in disbelief. Her sobs racked her body. She crawled to the safety of the cliff,

"DAMN YOU, MIROKU! HOW COULD YOU! HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME ALL ALONE?"

She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked against a tree. Her mind began chastizing her,

'_If you hadn't run away tonight, he would still be alive. It's all your fault that he's dead_!'

She felt helpless. Her gaze went skyward, raindrops rinsing her face of the tears. She saw a small, white demon flying through the sky,

"Of course! Inuyasha! He can find Miroku!", she remembered.

She stood up and raced, as fast as she could in the mud, back to the village.

--

Inuyasha paced in the main room of the house. After a particularly loud thunderclap, Kagome had jumped out of bed, frightened. Now, she sat on the floor, legs crossed, face in her hands. He smelled her fear and could taste the saltiness of her tears. He wouldn't admit it, but, he, too, felt dread.

He looked out into the rain. The sky was lightening up, signaling the approach of dawn. Rainclouds, however, still filled the sky with their blackness.

His eyes gazed through the village. He gasped and ran outside. Kagome heard him and scrambled to get up, following him. She, too, gasped at the sight that came into the village. Sango walked in, soaked and filthy with mud. As Kagome reached her, she could tell she was crying,

"Where's Miroku?", Inuyasha asked.

Sango managed to sob out,

"He ...f-f-fell ... off ... rope b-b-ridge..."

Sango fell into Kagome's grasp, sobbing and heaving. Kagome felt tears falling down her own face as she hugged her friend tightly. Inuyasha looked at Kagome and their eyes met. No words needed to be spoken as Inuyasha raced off into the trees.

Sango's daughters, Suki and Cho, witnessed the scene from the porch of Inuyasha's hut. Cho started crying and ran back inside to her brothers and sisters. Suki ran to her uncle's new hut,

"Uncle Kohaku! Uncle Kohaku! Wake up! Come quick!", she called, banging on the wall.

Kohaku opened the door, "Suki. What's wrong?"

Suki, sobbing, pointed to her mother in Kagome's arms. Kohaku raced over,

"Sister. What happened?", he plopped down beside Kagome in the mud.

Kagome relayed to him about the couples' fight last night and how Sango had run off and Miroku went after her,

"And then, when she returned, she said Miroku fell off the rope bridge.", she told him.

"The one on the other side of the forest?", he quizzed.

Sango nodded fiercely, "Y-y-yes."

Kohaku stood up, "KIRARA!"

The two-tailed ran up to him and transformed, knowing what was happening. Kohaku jumped on and she flew off over the forest.

Kagome stood up slowly, allowing Sango to rise with her,

"Let's go inside and get warm. I'll make you some hot tea and ..."

"N-n-n-no", Sango spoke "It's my fault what happened. How do I face my children, knowing I killed their father?", she sobbed.

"WHAT? Sango! Don't even think that! It is NOT your fault. It was an ..."

"Yes it is! If I hadn't run off last night this wouldn't have happened ..."

"You must not think that way. The children will NOT blame you and you mustn't blame yourself. Miroku was a highly religious man..."

"He made me let go of him. I had his wrists and he had mine. He wanted me to let go because the planks on the bridge were breaking ... and ...", she managed to get out.

"Sango, then it's definately not your fault. Miroku was a selfless man. He sacrificed his life so you could live and raise his children. Please, Sango. You have to stop blaming yourself. Your children need you. Now, more than ever."

Sango sniffed deeply and leaned on her friend. Kagome took that as a sign to proceed and walked into the hut with her.

--

Inuyasha started at the rope bridge and headed to the bottom of the cavern. He stared at the river. He wasn't sure if a human could survive such a fall, but, he had to go on the assumption that they would. He raced downriver, hopping from one side to the other. As the river branched out, he followed, first one branch and then the other. He backtracked and searched everywhere he could think of searching. He stopped on a rock and looked around,

"Lord Inuyasha!", he heard his name called,

"Kohaku!"

Kirara landed on the rock beside him and Kohaku jumped off,

"Any success, my lord?"

"None. I haven't found him on any of the river banks. I'm afraid he may be under the water. I'm glad for your help, Kohaku. You take Kirara and search the northern tributaries. I'll search the southern ones."

"Right.", Kohaku agreed, re-mounting Kirara and flying off.

Inuyasha headed down the opposite direction.

--

Kagome walked out of her hut. The sun hung low in the sky. Nara had come over and collected her nieces and nephews and taken them back to their own home. Villagers, saddened by the news, brought food and condolences to the monk's hut. Kagome looked inside the hut. After Sango had gotten cleaned up and changed, Kagome had made her some food and tea. She knew she was being sneaky, but, she added some ground sage to Sango's food and brewed her a strong chamomile tea. Shinta unrolled a futon in the back room, lit some lavender incense and darkened the room. It wasn't long until Sango was relaxed and sleeping.

She turned her head back towards the forest,

'_Inuyasha. Kohaku. Where are you_?'

A flash of red was seen through the trees and Kirara came over the treetops. Kagome anxiously went over to them but, stopped in her tracks when she realized they were empty handed. Her hands covered her mouth and she shook her head in disbelief. She started sobbing. Inuyasha pulled her into an embrace,

"I'm sorry, Kagome. We found no sign or him."

Kohaku looked over at Inuyasha,

"Lady Kagome, where's my sister?"

"She's sleeping. In our back room. I have her drugged up pretty good. Nara has the children."

Kohaku nodded and headed off to his sister's house. Word soon spread throught the village of the monk's loss. Inuyasha refused to say he was dead,

"But, dad, you said before a normal human can't survive falls from a height like that.", Shinta mentioned at dinner.

"I did.", Inuyasha agreed, "But, Miroku isn't a normal human. I learned that years ago."

"You think, maybe ...?",Kagome trailed off.

Inuyasha took her hand, "Kohaku and I are going to continue to look for him. Once the area dries up, I should be able to track his scent, no problem."

Sango walked out from the back room, looking drowsy. Kagome stood up and took her into another room. Sango's anguished sobs echoed throught the hut. Kagome walked a crying Sango out of the hut and over to her own hut to be with her children. She returned and gathered some herbs and went back to Sango's hut. Nara greeted her as she entered,

"We appreciate everything you're doing for us, Lady Kagome."

"No need to thank me, Nara. Listen to me. Sango is going to need these herbs. I'll explain everything you need to do, ok?"

Nara nodded as Kagome gave her the instructions.

--

The next two weeks passed slowly. The loss of Miroku upset many in the village. After Kaede's death, he had become their most trust religious leader and now, he was gone. Kagome started easing off the sage and chamomile, allowing Sango proper time to grieve. Her own children tried to keep Miroku and Sango's kids entertained or, at the very least, provide a shoulder for comfort.

Inuyasha, Kohaku and Kirara never gave up. Starting at sunup, they headed out, returning near dusk. Other villagers helped with the men's lands, making sure crops were planted on time for the summer harvest.

On what would be there last day of the search, Kohaku said to Inuyasha,

"It's time to put Miroku to rest, Lord Inuyasha. My sister and the children need closure."

Inuyasha stared straight ahead, "I don't believe he's dead."

Kohaku shook his head, "It doesn't matter what you think. It's what Sango wants. And what his kids want. It's what Kirara wants. Not to mention the villagers."

Inuyasha knew when he was defeated, "Fine. I'll build a funeral pyre tomorrow. He deserves a warrior's funeral. It's symbolic, but, it's better than nothing."

"Thank you.", Kohaku said, softly.

--

After dinner, Inuyasha took Kagome for a walk. He told her Kohaku's wish and she agreed,

"There comes a time when you have to move on. Sango, Kohaku, Nara and the children need that. It's better this way, Inuyasha."

"I don't like it, Kagome. He survived Naraku and his wind tunnel. He survived Nishimura 6 years ago. And, he dies from a simple fall?"

"I wouldn't call it simple, Inuyasha."

"Compared to the wind tunnel?"

Kagome sighed, "Ok, I'll give you that one."

"I still refuse to believe he's dead, Kagome. My gut tells me otherwise."

She hugged him, "There's nothing wrong with that, Inuyasha. Especially, without a body. But, don't let it destroy your life. Please."

Inuyasha grunted and sighed. Kagome took his hand,

"After the funeral, why don't we go to my mother's? We all need to get away."

"What about Sango and the brats?"

"Kohaku, Nara and the villagers are still here."

Inuyasha looked at her and nodded. She smiled at him and they walked back to the hut.

--

Two days later, the villagers surrounded the empty funeral pyre. Sobs could be heard thoughout the crowd. Hachi and Mushin arrived on Kirara's back for the service. Hachi stared at the ground, never wanting to look at the pyre, even though it was empty. Even Shippou made it back to the village with Kirara's help, cutting short his reunion, in the northern mountains, with his father's newly discovered kin. In the back, Sesshoumaru and Jaken had come with Rin. Kagome wondered if he came on his own or if Rin had shamed him into it ... something only she could do to the daiyoukai.

Mushin was surprisingly sober and obviously torn apart. He delivered a tearful eulogy, committing the soul of his apprentice to Buddha's care. Kohaku spoke next, reminding everyone of the good that Miroku had done. Inuyasha stood up and lit the torch. He stared at the pyre, his mind remembering Kaede's funeral. He had hated that funeral. Hated the smell of burning flesh. He was glad the pyre was empty for a couple of reasons. The first, obviously, being his distaste for burning human flesh. The second, because, he truly believed Miroku lived.

He placed the torch amongst the kindling,

'_I'll find you someday, my friend_.', he promised to the air.

--

On a riverbank, deep into the western lands, a group of men were hauling their fishing boat out of the water. As one man stood up and clapped the dirt off his hands, he noticed something shortly upstream,

"Men!", he called, "What is that?", he pointed.

The men stared and then walked over to what he had pointed too,

"It's a man.", said one.

"Is he alive?", said another.

Another checked the water logged person, "He's badly hurt but, he's alive. Let's get him back to the village. Akihito, get a tarp. We don't need to be carrying a naked stranger into our village."


	3. Shinta's Family and Inuyasha's Failings

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Three

Shinta's Family and Inuyasha's Failings

Kagome knocked on her best friend's house,

"Sango, are you here?", she called out.

Shippou answered the door,

"Oh, hi Kagome. Come on in.", Shippou invited.

Kagome entered the hut,

"I'm glad to see you're helping Sango out, Shippou.", Kagome said to him.

"I figure it's the least I can do. After all, Miroku was always there for me. Sango's resting in the back. Is there anything I can do for you, Kagome?"

"I just wanted to let her know that Inuyasha, the pups and I are heading back to my world for a while. I don't know how long we'll be this time."

"I'll let her know when she wakes up. I'll also let Kohaku and Nara know."

"I appreciate that, Shippou.", Kagome smiled.

The quiet morning was shattered by shouting,

"DAMMIT, SHINTA! GET YOUR ASS BACK IN HERE AND FINISH WHAT I TOLD YOU TO FINISH!", Inuyasha's voice could be heard.

"NO! I'M TIRED OF HAVING TO DO ALL THE WORK! GET ONE OF THE OTHERS TO DO IT!", Shinta shouted back.

Kagome shook her head,

"I'll see you, Shippou. I need to intervene."

"No problem, Kagome. Good luck!", Shippou said, as Kagome walked out of the hut.

She saw Shinta's retreating body heading towards the lake. Inuyasha was standing on the porch,

"Inuyasha?", she queried.

"I'm gonna beat that brat's ass, Kagome. I swear it. I'm tired of all his back talk and bullshit. He's not carrying his weight. I'm tired of you telling me to leave him alone ..."

"Inuyasha. Calm down ... no, forget that ... that's not possible for you. Let me talk to Shinta. I told you, he's rebelling. It's not unusual."

"He has work to do in the fields. If he's not back here in short order he WILL have my foot up his ass! Got it?"

"Yes, Inuyasha. I get it. Geez."

Kagome walked toward the lake and found Shinta sitting on the bank. She sat down beside him and looked over the lake. Shinta broke the silence,

"Mama? Why is dad always yelling at me?"

"Honey, I don't think he's yelling at just you. Your father yells. That's just his personality. What was the work he wanted you to do?"

"Normal chores. I was supposed to gather hay for the animals. I guess I just didn't want to do it right at that moment. I know it's my fault he yelled at me.", Shinta dropped his head.

"You know, Shinta, it isn't unusual for dads and sons to argue. And, you are the oldest. That makes you the Beta to his Alpha in the pack. He expects more from you. That's why he seems to pick on you more. You carry the most responsibility of all the pups.", Kagome explained.

Shinta allowed this to sink in, "So, what you're saying is, he's proud of me?"

"Very proud of you, Shinta. You also have to remember, Inuyasha didn't have a father figure in his life. He learned to survive the hard way."

"And I've got you and dad."

"Shinta, I think it's time you learned something. I've been waiting for the right moment to tell you. See, you almost didn't have anyone. You almost didn't survive."

Shinta stared up at her, "Whaddya mean, Mama?"

"You are not our natural pup. Your mother was an inu-demoness and your father was a human."

Shinta blinked, "I'm not ... yours?"

"Not by birth, no. We found you and took you in. We raised you as our very own."

"Where ... are ... my real parents?"

"I know nothing of your father. Your mother gave her life to save you. We found her and her tribe not far from here, dead. You were no more than a month or two old. We found you underneath your mother's body. She did exactly what a mother should do. Die while trying to protect you. Inuyasha picked you up and handed you to me. We fell in love with you instantly. We thought you would be our only child. We never knew we would have so-called natural children."

"Do you ... love them more than me?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! We love you every bit as much, if not more, than the other pups."

"More? Why?"

"Because ... you were a gift. We choose you to be in our family. You've heard your father talk about the fate of most hanyous. Someone else may have ignored you or even killed you. We wanted you to live. So, we chose to raise you as our child."

"What happened to my mother's body?"

"Your father buried her nearby with her tribe. He even marked her grave. Mind you, that's not a demon tradition but, a human tradition. He felt she deserved that honor ... that's how appreciative he was at her sacrifice and how much he loved you."

"Can you take me there, mama?"

"Of course, sweetheart. Come on. I'll show you where he buried them. It's not far."

Kagome stood up and reached her hand down for Shinta to take it. He grabbed her hand and stood up. The two of them walked quietly and slowly to the opposite edge of the village. Rounding a huge boulder, Shinta saw the wooden grave markers. He knelt beside the one labeled 'Shinta's mother'. Kagome knelt beside him and watched as the boy's hand drifted over the weathered piece of wood. His fingers played over the kanji that spelled out the words, as if searing it into his memory. He leaned into his adopted mother and began crying, his heart breaking for the loss of the one who bore him but, happy at the memories of the ones who raised him,

"Thank you, mama.", he whispered to Kagome.

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed the top of his head,

"You should really thank your father. It was his idea to bury them and mark their graves."

Shinta nodded and wiped the tears from his face. Kagome stood up and took her son's hand and they walked back to the hut together. Inuyasha stood waiting on the porch, arms crossed and frowning,

"Bout time you returned.", he said to his son.

Shinta ran up the steps to him and hugged him fiercely,

"Thank you, dad.", he said, catching his father off-guard, "I'll go finish my chores now."

As Shinta disappeared into the hut, Inuyasha turned to Kagome,

"What did I miss?"

Kagome walked up and hugged him, "Nothing. I decided it was time that Shinta knew about his true parentage and I showed him his mother's grave."

"Why the hell did you do that?", Inuyasha pushed her away and stared at her, his voice an angry whisper.

Kagome was shocked by his response, "Why not? He's old enough to know. He was very grateful that you buried his mother and her tribe."

"Dammit, Kagome, he's not old enough to know. Now, he's gonna want to search for his old man and ..."

"Well, we don't know if his 'old man' is alive or dead ..."

"You may not but, ...", Inuyasha stopped short when he realized what was coming out of his mouth.

"Inuyasha? What aren't you telling me?", Kagome looked at him accusingly.

Inuyasha looked away, "Nothing. Just forget about it.", he huffed, walking away.

'_You found his father, didn't you, Inuyasha_?', Kagome thought as she watched him walk away.

--

The family settled comfortably in the Higurashi household later that afternoon. The shrine's new found wealth had enabled them to build a house in the back of the shrine for Kagome and Inuyasha to stay whenever they visited. Shinta fed Ronin in their modern home before going back to the main house. Shiori put her nekomata, Mei , in her bedroom and then headed back to visit her grandmother.

Kagome's mother was extremely excited about her daughter's visit,

"We received a letter from your publisher yesterday, Kagome.", her mother eagerly told her.

"My publisher? I have a publisher?", Kagome queried, "Did someone actually accept my transcript?"

Souta brought the letter over to his sister, "I hope you don't mind that we opened it.", he said, sheepishly.

"I'm surprised you did. Is it just another turn down or ...?", she stopped as she opened the letter and read it, "MAMA! They accepted my transcript!", she shouted, sheer elation in her voice.

"Transcript?", Inuyasha walked into the room carrying little Kanta, "What's a ... transcript?"

"I wrote a book, Inuyasha. It's basically about our lives in the Feudal Era and our battle with Naraku. I've changed the names, of course, but, according to this publisher, it's the most realistic story based on the Feudal Era they've ever seen."

"Well, it should be.", said Souta, "You've been there. Lived through it. Most writers can only speculate on what happened back then."

"Why would anyone be interested in reading about us fighting Naraku?", Inuyasha looked at her strangely, taking the letter from her hand and skimming over it, "Pfft. This modern day kanji is from hunger. I can't read a word of this.", he complained, handing the letter back to her.

"It's based as a work of fiction, Inuyasha. Alot of people love reading stories of demons and samurai and the bushido way."

"Fiction? What's that?", Inuyasha queried again.

"Something that's not real. Not based on true life.", Kagome explained offhandedly, not realizing the impact that her words would have,

"NOT BASED ON TRUE LIFE? WHAT THE FUCK?", he yelled at her.

"Inuyasha! Watch your mouth!", she chastized him, all the while looking between her mother and Kanta.

"But, what we did was real life, Kagome. Unless you've forgotten all the times you nearly DIED!", Inuyasha reminded her.

Kagome sighed, "No, of course not. But, people in this era aren't going to believe that it's real so I had to make it a work of fiction. Geez, calm down, Inuyasha.", Kagome shook her head in disbelief.

Inuyasha just grunted and sat down, allowing Kanta to toddle over to a toy Inuyasha found extremely strange. It was called a Sit N'Spin and Inuyasha couldn't make heads or tails of its intended purpose except for a kid to spin around and around and then puke. Modern day toys confuddled him and he found himself appreciating the simpler toys that Kagome brought home for the pups like the paddle ball toy. He actually enjoyed that toy and spent lots of time perfecting his own game.

--

The next few days were uneventful and revolved mainly around Kagome talking with her new publisher and rewriting areas of her transcript that the publisher told her required some re-tooling. One such rewrite actually had Kagome's hair bristling with anger. The publisher was balking about the well as a time travel method,

"I refuse to alter that out of my book.", she argued on the phone, "That is the basis for my whole story."

"Miss Higurashi, I understand how you feel, but, we really feel it detracts from the story and it really isn't believable.", the gentleman told her.

"It's a work of fiction!", she argued back, "It has demons, priestesses, monks, magic ... and you're worried about a time traveling WELL?"

"Miss Higurashi, I know that an author is very protective of their work, but ..."

"NO BUTS! It stays in or we drop the whole deal. GOT IT?"

There was silence on the other end, "We'll be back in touch, Higurashi.", he said, then the line went dead.

Kagome hung up the phone, "UGH! The nerve of him!"

She sat there quietly at her desk when Inuyasha's raised voice pierced the silence,

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN, SHINTA! YOU'RE MY SON AND YOU'LL DO THINGS MY WAY!"

"MY REAL FATHER WOULDN'T ACT LIKE THIS!", Shinta screamed back.

"I AM YOUR REAL FATHER!"

"NO YOU'RE NOT! MY REAL FATHER IS DEAD!

Kagome walked out into the main room of their house,

"THE HELL HE IS! YOUR SO-CALLED 'REAL' FATHER IS A DRUNKEN, LYING, PIECE OF SHIT BANDIT THAT ATTACKED YOUR MOTHER, A LOW-CLASS DEMONESS, AND LEFT HER PREGNANT WITH YOU. HE WANTS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU! I RAISED YOU! I SHED BLOOD FOR YOU! DON'T YOU FORGET THAT!"

Kagome gasped at Inuyasha's revelations. Her eyes fell on Shinta, who was shaking with rage and crying,

"STOP CRYING, SHINTA! ANIKIS DON'T CRY!", Inuyasha screamed out and immediately regretted his words.

"I HATE YOU! I ABSOLUTELY HATE YOU!", Shinta screamed, bolting out of the house.

Kagome was beginning to shake with anger at Inuyasha's callousness, "SIT, BOY!", she screamed, flinging the helpless hanyou to the ground as she followed the direction her son had taken.

She looked around outside and sniffed, trying to ascertain Shinta's whereabouts. Her senses were not as keen as Inuyasha's but, she was pretty positive he had retreated down the well. Inuyasha confirmed her suspicions,

"Let him go. He needs to learn that life is not something to be messed with. Life is brutal and unkind. He'll be back when he realizes that."

Kagome stared at her husband, "Low-class demoness? Seriously, Inuyasha, what were you thinking? Did you have to say all that?"

"It's the truth.", he stared at her, surprised, "The truth is hard to hear but, he needed to hear it."

"Will you ever learn some tact?"

"What's your problem? I state things as I see them. That's all. Come on, I smell dinner.", he said, taking her hand.

She pulled away, "I'm worried about Shinta. I'm going back."

"No, you're not. He's probably just going back to the village. What can happen there? Seriously, that kid needs to learn some hard lessons in life. Maybe I'll go back and drop him off somewhere in the northern mountains with nothing but his wits about him. Survive or die."

"INUYASHA!", she gritted her teeth, "You wouldn't do that to Kai or any of the other pups."

"You wanna bet? Just try me. That's the best thing that can happen to all of them. Make them appreciate what they have. That's how I learned. That's how I survived."

"You had no choice!"

"And you're too soft on them! They're half-demons! They need to realize that life in the village is NOT the real world. That's enough! I'm done arguing. You're not going back and that's final."

Inuyasha turned and headed into the main house. Kagome turned her head and stared at the well house before sighing deeply and heading inside to eat.

--

Later that night, Inuyasha managed to get back on Kagome's good side with a hearty dosage of 'I'm sorry's' (none of which he truly meant) and some sensual playtime. A typical male, he would do just about anything to get his woman to take care of his needs. As soon as Kagome was heated up, he knew his night was going to be fulfilling. He smiled deviously to himself when her scent told him she was fast asleep from sheer exhaustion. Yup. He was truly 'The Man'!

Settling down for the night, his ears twitched and his nose picked up a familiar scent,

'_HMPH! Knew he'd be back_!', he thought to himself, secure in the knowledge that his parenting style was much better than Kagome's. He drifted off to sleep confident and satisfied.

--

When he awoke the next morning, it was mid-morning. Inuyasha got up, stretched and dressed in a outfit that Kagome's mother called a 'sweatsuit'. He didn't understand the name since he never sweated in it, but, he liked it because it was comfortable. He had long before sworn off the pants that Kagome called 'jeans' because they were too restricting.

Heading into the main house, he sat down at the table and greeted the old man, who replied with a curt "Mornin'". He piled his plate high with the food on the table and began to eat heartily. He detected nothing out of the ordinary until Kai and Kagome entered the room,

"Inuyasha?", Kagome asked.

"Hmmm?", he responded, his mouth full of buckwheat pancakes,

"Shinta hasn't come back yet.", she told him.

He swallowed his food, "He came back last night. I heard him and smelled him. You better get your senses working better, woman. Some half-demon you are."

"He never came to his bedroom.", Kai told him.

"Ok. So, maybe he stayed outside. Or in the tree. Or even in here. Did you sniff for him in all those places?"

Kai lowered his head, "No, sir."

"Fine. But, he's not here now, Inuyasha.", Kagome insisted.

"Geez. Do I have to do all the thinking around here? Maybe he took a walk? Went further into your strange village? What do you want from me, woman?", Inuyasha was beginning to get ticked off.

Kagome sighed an angry sigh, "I want you to get off your lazy half-demon ass and look for your son, dammit! Do **I** have to spell everything out for you?"

"And, you want me to do this WHY?"

"Because he's a naive Feudal Era kid with absolutely no street smarts out there on the streets of Tokyo, that's why!"

"He's a half-demon. He's got claws and fangs. He can defend himself. Besides, your village is supposed to be safer than the other world."

"So, you're just going to throw your son to the wolves?"

Inuyasha's head spun around, "Kouga's out there?"

"No, you dope. It's a saying. It means, are you just going to let Shinta take what comes?"

"The best way for him to learn."

Kagome threw up her hands in defeat, "I give up!", she said, walking out of the room.

--

Shinta followed his nose to downtown Tokyo. He explored the shops and bought things that appealed to him. He realized he really had no sense of money and hoped that the shopkeepers in this world were just as honest as the shopkeepers back home.

He adjusted his baseball cap nervously as he walked down a small street. He felt a chill go down his spine. He remembered his dad telling him to trust his instincts and he decided to turn around and head back to the main street. As he turned, he realized his way was blocked by three guys he assumed to be not much older than him,

"Hey, lookit what we got here. Hey, punk, where didja get the white hair from?", said one of the guys.

"I was born with it.", Shinta stated, firmly. He was determined not to show fear.

"What are ya? Some albino or sumthin'?", said another kid.

"What's an albino?", Shinta asked, having never heard the word before.

"Punk doesn't know what an albino is.", the three laughed together.

"Is it some sort of demon?", Shinta asked.

The three guys stared at him before laughing so hard they had a hard time trying to talk,

"A demon? You believe that demons exist, kid?"

Before Shinta had a chance to answer, four more guys, older than the three taunting Shinta, appeared behind them. The wise-cracking kids became quiet and their faces turned ashen with fear,

"I thought we told you never to come onto this street. This street belongs to the Yakuza!", one of the men told them.

The three young men bowed, "We would like very much to join the Yakuza."

Shinta just stared at the four men standing in front of him. One of the men took out a gun and aimed it at Shinta,

"Punk! Why don't you bow to us?"

"Bow? I have never met you before. Bowing is a sign of respect. I have no reason to bow to you or to anyone.", Shinta told them, his eyes burning with anger.

"You little punk!", the man holding the gun said. Shinta heard the slight clicking as the man readied his weapon. When he fired it, Shinta jumped up, the bullet flying by him. Using a technique he learned from his father, he aimed his fist for the face of the man holding the gun. Making contact, the man was thrown backwards. Landing solidly on the ground, Shinta smiled a cocky smile,

'_Not as far as father. But, still good_!', he thought.

The other three men jumped on top of him, catching him off guard. Getting his wits back, Shinta easily overthrew the men, using his claws to injure them,

"You want some more?", he taunted the men.

All four men reacted and pulled out guns. A shower of bullets filled the street,

"You need to improve your aim!", Shinta taunted from a rooftop.

"How did he get way up there?", one of the men wondered.

Shinta launched himself and pummeled all four men. He landed quietly and watched his prey react. He realized the three boys who had been taunting him had disappeared,

"Wimps.", he spoke softly.

He watched as an older man walked across the street and stopped behind the four fallen men. The older man examined the four men,

"Get up, you weaklings. Are you gonna allow a kid to beat you up?", he said to the men.

"Father. He's no ordinary kid.", one of the men explained.

Shinta huffed, "That's right. I've fought tougher guys than you. Bring it on if you want to battle."

The older man looked at the boy, "What's your name, boy?"

Shinta was taken aback, "Why?"

"If you are that good a fighter then, I would like you to join me. My name is Yamada. Yamada Toshiro."

Shinta straightened up, "My name is Shinta."

"Is that your family name?"

"No. I don't have a family name. It's just Shinta."

"Well, Shinta. Come with me, son. We have alot to talk about."

--

_A/N: FINALLY! I thought I'd never get this chapter finished. I was tired of rewrite after rewrite. I think I finally got what I was after. Cya soon!_


	4. The Yakuza

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Four

The Yakuza

Shinta followed the man who called himself Yamada,

"Where are we going, sir?", he asked, scanning the busy streets of Tokyo.

"I'm taking you to meet somebody. He is my _oyabun._"

"Oyabun?", Shinta asked, confused.

"As those men called me Father ... my oyabun is my Father."

"Your real father?", Shinta was still quite confused.

"No. He is the man I show my allegiance too."

"Oooooh. Like an Alpha male.", Shinta made the connection.

Yamada eyed the young boy, '_Strange way of understanding ranks_.', he thought to himself.

They arrived at a busy store at the end of a street. Walking in, Shinta had to cover his ears at the loud banging and clanging of the metal contraptions that lined the walls and aisles. He watched the people sitting in front of these noisy metal machines dropping tokens into them endlessly,

"Come on, boy.", Yamada said.

Shinta followed Yamada up a set of stairs into a dank room. A much older man was sitting on a couch surrounded by younger men. Shinta's eyes trailed over them and he noticed a couple of men had bandages on their pinky fingers. Yamada stopped and bowed,

"Oyabun."

The old man nodded is head, "Yamada. Who is your young friend?"

"Allow me to introduce him to you. He calls himself Shinta. He claims he has no family name. I watched this young man take out four of my best kobun."

"Him? He's just a child."

"I am not a child.", Shinta announced, angrily, "Where I come from I am considered the Beta male, second only to my Alpha."

The older man stared at him, "You talk as if you live in a pack of wolves."

"No. A pack of dog-demons.", replied Shinta, not realizing what effect his words would have.

The oyabun stared at him again, this time in disbelief. Then he started to laugh heartily. The other men in the room followed suit. Shinta angrily removed his cap to reveal his dog ears,

"See?", he spoke.

All the laughter stopped. The oyabun stood up and walked over to Shinta. He carefully examine the ears. Shinta proudly showed off his fangs and claws. The oyabun was shocked, to say the least,

"You do appear to be a dog. But, a demon? They do not exist."

"Sorry to disappoint you.", Shinta smirked.

Yamada chimed in, "He is very strong. Much stronger than the average boy his age. I think he would be useful to our cause."

The oyabun eyed Shinta carefully before sitting back down,

"My name is Inagawa Kakuji. I am the head oyabun of the Inagawa-kai yakuza in Tokyo and Yokohama. I could use someone of your strength in my family. Would you be interested?"

"What would you need me to do?", Shinta asked.

"Many, many things."

--

Inuyasha walked into the small house in the back of the shrine. He saw Kagome working feverishly on that strange box she called a 'computer',

"Any sign of Shinta?", he asked her, even though he knew the answer. He hadn't picked up Shinta's scent all day.

Kagome stopped, "No. And I'm worried. What if something's happened to him, Inuyasha?"

He waved his hand, "I wouldn't worry.", he said to her, trying to act nonchalant while thinking, '_Yet_.'

--

Just before dinner, Inuyasha's nose twitched,

'_Finally_!', he thought with relief.

He walked outside as Shinta got to the top of the steps,

"So, you decided to grace us with your presence. Where have you been all damn day, kid?"

Shinta stopped and stared at his dad. He gulped hard,

"Uhm, out?"

"Really? Gee, I never would have known. Out where exactly?"

Shinta shrugged, "Just all over. I'm hungry. Can I go eat now?", he tried to change the subject.

Inuyasha knew Shinta was hiding something but, he wasn't sure how to get it out of him. He felt uneasy but, decided to ignore his feelings,

"Sure. Go on."

Shinta started to walk away and then,

"Dad?"

"Yea?"

"My father. You said he was a bandit?"

Inuyasha stared at Shinta,

"What about it?"

"Does that mean I will be bad?"

"Huh? What are you gettin' at?"

"I was just wondering. Since I have evil in my background will I be evil?"

Inuyasha came over to him and placed his hand on Shinta's shoulder, "I don't believe that. I believe it's you surroundings that make you what you are. When I was on my own, I stole and killed to survive. But, I don't do that anymore because my circumstances changed. Why do you ask?"

Shinta shrugged and stared at the ground, "No reason."

Inuyasha wanted to pry but, decided that was best left to the expert of prying, Kagome,

"Let's get dinner.", his father said.

--

The families prepared for bed. Kagome bathed Kanta as the older pups washed, brushed their teeth and dressed for bed. Shinta was noticably absent,

"SHINTA?", Kagome called downstairs.

"Yes?", he called back up.

"Aren't you coming to bed?"

"Can I watch some tv first?"

"Ok. But, don't be up too long."

"I won't."

Kagome and Inuyasha checked on the other pups one last time before retiring themselves. Kagome laid her head on Inuyasha's left arm, curling up into him. Inuyasha began absentmindedly rubbing her right arm with his hand. It wasn't long before Kagome was sound asleep. Inuyasha found his mind wandering,

'_I don't know what it is but, I could've sworn I smelled blood on Shinta. I didn't see anything but, my nose doesn't lie. I don't want to worry Kagome, though_. _What do I do?_'

--

Shinta lazed on the couch, watching tv while playing with his DS. He really wasn't paying much attention until he heard the news reports,

"Three men were found decapitated today by Tokyo police, in the Ginza district. Reportedly, the men are a part of the Yamaguchi-gumi yakuza family. This was not an ordinary Yakuza hit and authorities are puzzled. The men appear to have been attacked by a group of wild dogs ..."

Shinta smiled a small smile to himself,

'_Just one wild dog_!', he tought, almost proudly.

He turned off the tv and went upstairs to his bedroom that he shared with Kai. He undressed and laid on top of his bed clad only in his underwear. He knew Kai was still awake. Nervously, he watched the clock. 10:30. He had to get out soon. His nose told him his father was asleep as well as his mother. He twitched ... waiting for Kai to go to sleep. He gazed at the clock again. 11:00. He had no choice. He got up and dressed. Quietly, he moved about. The first thing the pups had learned from their father in regards to hunting was stealth. He silently opened the window,

"Shinta!", Kai hissed at him.

"What?", Shinta whispered back.

"Where you going? You can't leave. Dad'll have your hide and you know it."

"He'll only know if you snitch, little brother. You gonna snitch on me? Well? Answer me."

Kai stared up at his brother. He knew the way of the pack. Shinta was the beta male. The aniki. If the beta male orders silence then he must remain silent. Unless the alpha demands to know. He could not tell his father anything he saw on his own. The alpha would have to question him. He didn't like being in that position but, he had no choice. He remained silent.

"Good. I'll be back by morning."

And with that, Shinta was gone. Kai laid his head back down and sighed,

'_What are you up to, Shinta_?', he wondered.

--

When Kai woke up the next morning, Shinta was laying on his bed. He had changed his clothes from the previous night. Kai wrinkled his nose. He wondered why he smelled the faint traces of blood in the room. Human blood. But, it was faint and mixed with another smell he couldn't place. Their door opened,

"Hey you guys!", Izayoi called in, "Aren't you hungry?"

"Be there in a minute.", called Shinta.

Kai got up and dressed, casting glances over to his brother. Shinta ignored him and walked into the bathroom. Kai heard the toilet flush and then Shinta marched out and walked out the door. Kai felt a wave of uneasiness flow over him. He tried to tamp it down in his mind and followed his brother out the door.

The family gathered at the table. As always, Kagome's mom, fully aware of the amount of food her son-in-law and grandchildren could put away, had prepared a feast. Shinta sat beside his mother while Kai sat across from his dad. Kai silently hoped that maybe his dad would notice something wrong with him and ask him questions,

"So, sis, when will your transcript be ready?", Souta asked.

"It already is. I finished the final re-write last night and sent it off to the publishers. It will be out in about three months.", she answered.

"Isn't the internet amazing!", her mom gushed.

Inuyasha looked at it another way,

"Good. We can go home. I can only take so much of this strange village."

Kagome's eyes narrowed and she slapped him,

"OW! What was that for, wench?"

"Your attitude, that's what it was for.", she responded.

Kai's hopes were dashed as his father appeared preoccupied and didn't say anything to him other than normal conversation. He excused himself from the table,

"He seems a little blue.", said Souta.

Inuyasha looked at Souta,

"You think so?", he asked.

Kagome's mom waved it off,

"All teenagers act like that. He's probably sad about leaving."

Kagome agreed,

"Yea. He does love it here."

--

The breakfast dishes were cleared while Kagome and the girls went upstairs to pack. Kanta toddled over to his dad and crawled up on his lap. Inuyasha decided to take him outside for some fresh air. Walking into the yard, he saw Shinta leaving the other house and heading for the steps,

"HEY!", Inuyasha called out.

Shinta looked back at him,

"Where are you going?", his father asked.

"Uhm, to meet some friends over at the Ginza district. Is that ok?"

"I don't like you walking around this village alone. You know that, Shinta.", his father chastized him.

Shinta sighed,

"Why not? Don't you trust me? Grandma says that Mama used to walk through Tokyo when she was my age. Why can't I? I just wanna have some fun."

"I don't like that tone of voice, little man.", his father chastized again.

Shinta yelled,

"I'M NOT A LITTLE KID! STOP TREATING ME AS SUCH!"

Inuyasha stared right into Shinta's eyes. It was fleeting. Barely a second. But, it HAD happened. Didn't it?

'_His eyes went red_.', Inuyasha thought nervously.

Inuyasha swallowed hard. He didn't want to push the issue and waved his hand, sending Shinta on his way. But, his eyes followed his adopted son until he was out of sight,

'_His demonic side. What would cause it to raise up so early?', he tried to shake off his worry, 'Maybe ... just maybe it's because he is changing. I was protected by the Tessaiga in the black pearl. Shinta has no protection. I never considered the possibility of the pups dealing with their demons. I need to talk with Toutousai when I get back_.'

--

Shinta headed for the Inagawa-kai headquarters. Walking in, some of the men bowed to him as he walked by. He felt a bit better. They were accepting him here. He didn't have to wear his cap in here. They didn't treat him like a little kid in here. His mind drifted back. Ever since his mother had told him that he was their natural pup, he had felt like an outsider. He didn't know why he had the sudden change in feelings. But, now he felt like he needed to make his own identity. If his real father was a criminal, then maybe that was his destiny as well.

He saw his oyabun sitting on his couch. He walked up to him and bowed,

"Oyabun.", he spoke, respectfully, not looking at the elder's eyes.

"Shinta.", the man acknowledged him.

"Oyabun. My family is leaving to go home tomorrow. I'm afraid I must go with them.", he spoke respectfully.

The older man sat his drink on the table,

"You must go with them. You think so, do you? Your family is this clan now. You are not permitted to leave."

Shinta stared at him in disbelief,

"But ...", he started.

The older man grinned evilly,

"You are staying at the Higurashi shrine."

Shinta's eyes grew wider. The man laughed devilishly,

"You thought I wouldn't check up on you? If you attempt to leave you will be required to pay me in the form of the first knuckle of your right pinky finger. I will also make sure the Higurashi family suffers."

Shinta started to panic. Sweat poured off his face. He finally bowed to his oyabun,

"Yes, sir."

Inagawa sat back and picked up his drink,

"Go. But, make sure you are back here at midnight. I have more work for you."

Shinta backed up and departed, running desperately for home. He thought about telling his father when, suddenly, a thought hit him,

'_You baby. You want to be respected. Get your own identity. So now you go running home to daddy and mommy. No. I will stay in Tokyo_.', he decided.

--

Shinta walked into the main house. His parents were sitting in the living room with his grandmother and great-grandfather. He knelt beside his mother,

"Uhm, mama?"

Kagome looked at her son and placed an arm around his shoulders,

"What is it, son?", she asked.

He thought for a moment about how his mother's voice always calmed him. He looked into her eyes pleadingly,

"Mama? May I stay here? In Tokyo? With grandma?"

Kagome appeared taken aback by his request. Inuyasha snorted,

"Hell no. You'll return home with the rest of us. Your place is back there. Not here."

"But,", Shinta pleaded, "I really like it here. The Feudal Era is so boring. Plus, I can help grandma and o-jii-chan out with the shrine.", he stated his case, "PLEASE?"

"I SAID ...", Inuyasha started,

Kagome halted him, "That might not be a bad idea.", she mused.

"WHAT?", Inuyasha stared at her, "I NEED HIS HELP BACK IN OUR WORLD!"

"Hush, Inuyasha.", Kagome scolded, "Kai and Izayoi are big enough to help. Jii-chan is getting old ..."

"I actually like the idea.", commented her mother, "Shinta, that is so very thoughtful of you. Thank you for caring about us."

"Yes.", agreed Kagome's grandfather, "With Souta at University, I could use a strong young back around here."

Shinta smiled at his manipulation. He knew his mother and her family would fall for the "helpful child" routine.

Inuyasha shook his head,

"Izayoi is a girl ...", he started again.

Izayoi spun around from her spot on the floor,

"And what is THAT supposed to mean, father?" I am 10 years old and I'm half-demon. I'm strong enough to work the land."

"You belong IN the house ...", Inuyasha didn't get very far at all until he was verbally attacked by Izayoi, Shiori, Kagome AND her mother,

"What a horrible thing to say!", her mother commented.

"YOU PIG!", Kagome chided.

"DADDY! HOW COULD YOU?", yelled Izayoi.

"Daddy, that's mean!", Shiori said softly.

Kai shook his head and thought,

'_Will he ever learn_?'

Kai was also concerned about Shinta. He knew that Shinta wasn't staying behind to help with the shrine. But, he had to follow pack rules. Maybe now, his dad might question him about Shinta's motives.

Inuyasha's face showed genuine fear. Kagome's anger was bad enough. Add her mother and their daughters? He realized he had better back down. Trying to maintain his dignity, he relaxed and crossed his arms, huffing,

"Ok. You can stay. But, if I hear about you getting into any kind of trouble, young man ..."

Shinta grinned a euphoric, triumphant grin,

"Cross my heart, dad. You don't have to worry about me."

Shinta stood up and practically waltzed out the front door. He had succeeded in duping his family. Now, he could work on making a name for himself in the big city.

--

Again, that night, Shinta quietly left as Kai worried about what his brother was up to. Kai wanted to follow after his brother desperately but, decided against it. He knew his father's rage. If Shinta wanted to risk being shunned, then that was Shinta's problem. He fell into an uneasy sleep.

--

When the family left the next morning, Shinta was there to see them off. By now, he learned how to conceal the smell of blood after he washed his hands. He thought he was fooling his old man, not realizing that Inuyasha was just a tad bit suspicious. He didn't believe Shinta was capable of anything too violent but, he was still concerned over the possibility of his demon showing itself. He was determined to question Toutousai about it.

They said their goodbyes and were off, leaving Shinta back in modern day Tokyo.

--

_A/N: Enjoy chapter 4. Chapter 5 is nearly finished and will be up by tomorrow night._


	5. A Journey

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Five

A Journey

Inuyasha put away the food that they had brought back from the modern age. It wasn't long until Shippou was inside their hut, drooling for ninja food. Inuyasha threw him a bag of garlic potato chips and kicked him out. Inuyasha proceeded out to the smoke house and brought in some lambs for dinner.

Kagome knelt in the cooking spot, chopping up the lamb meat, while Shiori chopped vegetables. Inuyasha lazed by the wall, his hands behind his head, watching them. Izayoi walked in with a basket of potatoes to peel,

"You know, Kagome,", Inuyasha opened his mouth and prepared to insert his foot, "You need to take some cooking lessons from your mother. She's a hell of a cook."

**CHOP**

Kagome's blade stopped on the board. Her eye began twitching,

"What did you say?", she seethed.

"I'm saying you need to cook like your mother.", he continued to dig his grave.

Kagome stood up, fists at her sides,

"HMPH! Fine! If you like my mother's cooking so much go back!"

Inuyasha stared at her, a bit afraid, but, still defiant,

"Geez, don't get your panties in a bunch."

That was all it took. Kagome looked at her daughter and calmly said,

"Shiori. You cook your father's dinner tonight."

Shiori stared at her mother,

"HUH?", she gasped.

Inuyasha's reaction was even more surprised,

"But ... she ... she burns everything. She doesn't know how to cook."

"Fine.", Kagome told him, "It will give her practice. Shiori, I leave everything into your capable hands."

Kagome turned and walked into the bedroom,

"My capable hands?", Shiori said, distressed.

Inuyasha looked at his youngest daughter and then at his oldest,

"Izayoi? You'll ... help her ... won't you?"

Izayoi smiled, loving her father's comeuppance, "No can do. Mama said Shiori. So, Shiori it is."

Inuyasha leaned back against the wall in defeat,

"Oh no.", he groaned.

Outside on the porch, Shippou and Kai overhead the conversation. Kai shook his head in disbelief at his father's stupidity and Shippou merely remarked,

"Idiot."

--

Shiori did her best to cook her father's meal while Kagome and Izayoi cooked supper for everyone else. Inuyasha drooled over the delicious smell of Kagome's dinner while trying to stomach Shiori's concoction,

"How is it, Daddy?", Shiori asked, hopefully.

Inuyasha stared at his plate of what was supposed to a lamb stew before looking up into his little girl's sparkling eyes,

"Well, if you wanna know the truth, Shiori ..."

"INUYASHA!", Kagome scolded.

Inuyasha looked at his wife and then back down at his plate. Plucking the chopsticks in, he forced the meal into his mouth and chewed,

"It's delicious.", he grunted.

Shiori missed the interplay between her parents and clapped her hands gleefully,

"I'm glad you like it, Daddy. I added a special ingredient to the stew just for you. Betcha can't guess what it is. I added lamb stomach.", she announced, proudly.

Inuyasha blanched when Kagome mentioned to Shiori, "You remembered to empty out the contents of the stomach, right?"

"Was I supposed too, Mama?"

Kagome tried to hold back her giggles as Inuyasha just stared at his plate in disbelief,

"That's ok, Shiori."

Shiori happily said to her father, "Since you like it so much, I'll gladly make it again for you, daddy."

"Of course, Shiori.", her mother said, happily, "I know daddy would love to have your cooking again. Wouldn't you, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha kept his eyes on his plate and felt his stomach turn, "Yea. Sure.", he gulped out.

--

Inuyasha sat on the porch staring at the night sky. He heard Kagome's soft footsteps exit the hut. She sat beside him, curling her knees under her. After a while of comfortable silence, Kagome spoke,

"The stars are beautiful tonight."

"HmHm.", Inuyasha responded.

"The moon is waning. The night of the new moon will be here soon."

"Two more days.", he agreed.

She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Inuyasha looked at her out of the corner of his eyes before leaning his head onto hers,

"You're worried about Shinta.", she remarked.

"Yea. Aren't you?"

"Not really."

Inuyasha's head jerked up,

"What? You're not worried?"

She smiled her gentle smile,

"Inuyasha. He's a teenager. He's pushing the limits. He's trying to break away. In this era, he could possibly be getting married. Especially, if he was human. Besides, he's with my mom. What could go wrong?"

"I don't know ...", Inuyasha hedged.

Kagome's left hand went up to his chin and turned his head to face her,

"This isn't really about Shinta, is it?"

"Of course it is."

"I think it has more to do with your insecurity as a dad."

Inuyasha looked at her, shocked, before turning his head away,

"I thought so.", she replied, "Inuyasha, do you believe you raised Shinta properly?"

He shrugged, "I don't know ... how would I know? It's not like I had a father to compare myself to."

"No. You had even better. You had yourself. You learned to survive in the cruelest of worlds. And, you passed that survival instinct onto your pups. There comes a time, in every parents life, when they have to let go and trust their children. Sometimes it works and, well, sometimes it doesn't. I didn't like the idea of leaving Shinta alone, at 14, in Tokyo. But, then I remembered, demons are different. Sure, you told me his aging will slow down now but, he has what we taught him. Besides, I don't think this will last very long. He just has to find himself."

"When did you get so knowledgeable about parenting?", he asked her.

"My mother.", she replied, softly.

"So, what do we do if he gets in trouble? Or if it isn't just a short time?"

"We deal with that bridge when we come to it. Who knows, maybe Shinta just has the 'Big City Blues'."

"The what?"

"When a kid from the country longs for the life of the big city, it's called the 'Big City Blues'. It can just be a phase or something more permanent."

"Oh."

She looked at him for a bit before rubbing her hand along his shoulders,

"Come on. Let's go inside. I'll give you a nice, relaxing back rub with your favorite oils.", she tempted him.

"I can't turn that down, now can I?"

"I didn't think you could."

She rubbed her finger across his lips before kissing him gently. She stood up and looked down at him seductively, with a 'come hither' stare and entered the hut. Inuyasha quickly followed like a love-struck puppy dog.

--

The next morning, Kagome and the pups worked in the fields pulling weeds. The pups giggled as Kanta struggled to pull some weeds and FLOPPED numerous times on his buttocks,

"I fall down.", he kept repeating over and over.

Kagome smiled at her littlest one as she worked on picking some early harvest,

"Kagome.", Sango called out to her.

Kagome put down her basket and walked over to the fence,

"Hi, Sango. How are you this morning?"

Sango smiled a forced smile,

"Ok, I guess.", she aknowledged, then asked Kagome,

"Can you come over after you're done?"

"Of course, Sango. We haven't had much chance to talk since we've returned.", Kagome agreed.

"Wonderful.", Sango agreed, "I also need you to look at Mikito. He has been complaining of pains in his stomach."

Kagome looked concerned, "How bad are the pains, Sango?"

"This morning they've become excruciatingly painful to him."

"Where is he feeling these pains?"

Sango pointed to the right side of her stomach near the pelvis,

"Why? Do you think you know what it is?"

Kagome appeared worried,

"It might be an appendicitis. If it is, it requires surgery to remove it. Not having modern day equipment, it's very dangerous."

"What would happen if you don't take it out?"

"If it is an appendicitis, it could explode and kill him, Sango. But, even operating on him ... I'm not trained in such methods. I know anatomy but, there is a very high risk ..."

Sango started trembling as she covered her mouth with her hand,

"Kagome. I couldn't stand to lose Mikita. Not after Miroku. You have to try your best to save him. You opened me up and saved my life. I fully entrust my son into your hands."

Kagome hugged her across the fence. She felt her heart beat rapidly,

"Sango.", she whispered, "Go to your son. I'll be over shortly."

Sango nodded nervously, her mouth still covered with her hand as tears fell down her cheeks. She turned and headed for home. Kagome turned around and saw Izayoi and Shiori standing behind her. They had overhead the conversation and had gathered Kagome's medical tools and herbs and stood at the ready. Kagome smiled at their efficiency and the three women left the field. Kai gathered Kanta up and took him into the hut to clean him up and feed him lunch.

--

Inuyasha had left early that morning and headed for Toutousai's mountain,

"TOUTOUSAI! YOU HERE?", he called out as he entered the cave.

"Inuyasha?", the old man yelled back.

Inuyasha came closer,

"I need some advice, Toutousai."

Inuyasha sat down and explained his concerns about Shinta's demon,

"Inuyasha. I find it hard to believe that Shinta's demon side would be able to show itself. Your demon side had been protected from birth by the Tessaiga. The reason being is that your father, being such a powerful demon, had passed that incredible power onto you. As a hanyou, you would be unable to control the blood lust of such a powerful demon. Shinta's clan is a very low-ranking demon clan. His mother had nowhere near the power of your father. So, Shinta would have no problem with his demon blood overpowering his human side. At this young age, anyway."

"What does that mean? At this young age?", Inuyasha was confused.

"Has he been in any serious life or death battles? Has he tasted blood?"

Inuyasha shook his head, "Not that I am aware of."

"Hanyous are normally complacent unlike their demon bretheran. This is because of the human side in them. This is also why most hanyous do not live to see adulthood. But, if a hanyou battles to survive or gets the chance to kill, then the demon within them could, feasibly, get a taste of demon blood lust. The powerful rush they would theoretically receive could encourage them to kill again to feel that thrill once more. Then, the demon inside could show itself because the hanyou would need to kill more and more to keep getting this rush."

Inuyasha's mind reeled back to when he killed Goshinki,

'_That's right! I had the urge to kill more_.', he thought, then his mind remembered something, '_I thought I smelled some blood on Shinta. It was human blood but, it was very faint. But, why would Shinta attack someone? That's not in his nature.'_

"Toutousai. Do you know anything about the clan that Shinta's mother came from?"

"Hmm. No, not really. The best person to ask would be Sesshoumaru. He knows all the inu-tribes."

"Thanks, Toutousai.", Inuyasha rushed out of the mountain cave and went hunting for his older brother.

--

As Inuyasha raced into the Western Lands, he remembered Shinta's questions,

'_My father. You said he was a bandit? Does that mean I will be bad? Since I have evil in my background will I be evil?'_

'_But, Shinta isn't the type to just attack someone for fun or curiosity. He's killed lesser demons and hunted animals. He's experienced those feelings. Would Shinta actually kill a human for sport?'_, he thought.

Kagome's words came to mind,

'_Inuyasha, do you believe you raised Shinta properly_?'

'_Yes. I do believe that. This has to be a mistake. He probably just got into a fight with a human who made fun of his appearance. That's it. That has to be it. My son would never harm someone for the thrill of it_.'

Inuyasha landed in a small field. The two headed dragon looked up at him and grunted,

"Oh. Lord Inuyasha. I'm surprised to see you."

"Rin. I see you're well.", Inuyasha greeted her.

"Yes, I am. How is everybody? Lady Kagome? Kohaku?", she walked up to him.

"Everybody is fine.", Inuyasha told her, as he leaned against a rock, "So, where is he?"

"He's at his mother's palace. He should be back soon."

Inuyasha merely grunted and hopped onto the rock,

"I'll just wait.", he said.

--

Sesshoumaru stared out the window in his mother's throne room. His mother leaned back on her throne, twirling the Meidou stone. The air was tense,

"My son, you are the descendant of the most powerful demon in all of Japan. I cannot believe you want to woo a human girl when there are plenty of beautiful, high-ranking inu-demonesses ready to be your mate."

"Most of the demonesses are from the mainland, mother.", he replied.

"So? Do you forget where your ancestors came from?"

"Of course not."

His mother sighed, "Sesshoumaru. Tell me honestly. Do you want to breed worthless beings like that creature your father created with his human concubine? Is that what you want for your legacy? I can easily see the Western Lands falling before too long with hanyou heirs."

"Mother. I have reason to believe that the reign of demons will end and that humans will take over. At that time, we will have to assimilate ourselves into their culture."

"And where do you get this information, my son?"

"Inuyasha's mate."

"THAT WENCH! You actually believe her?"

Sesshoumaru turned to face his mother, defiant,

"From what I know of her, yes, I believe her. I have witnessed her raw power even as a human. Now, with her power of the divinty over demons, I am even more positive of what she says."

His mother huffed, as she stood up and walked away from her son,

"I will never bow to that wench. It is because of her that the hanyou bastard is as powerful as he is. How can you do this, Sesshoumaru? Your father gave everything to that beast and left you empty-handed. I am happy that you finally learned the compassion that your father and I wanted for you. It is necessary to have compassion when we have to co-exist with humans. But, your pride, my son. You are a daiyoukai as powerful as your father. You should mate with a full inu-demoness ... not a human."

"Inuyasha is also as powerful as father.", Sesshoumaru admitted, "It was because he was a hanyou that father gave him the edge over me. I have witnessed Inuyasha's strength with my own eyes. He has done things no other hanyou could possibly accomplish."

"But, he is no daiyoukai."

"Only because he is hanyou. I will consider what you have said, mother. It is possible that I may woo Rin and take her for my mate and allow an inu-demoness to be my concubine and bear full inu pups. That is my right, after all."

His mother merely stared at him, sadly, as he turned around and left.

--

Inuyasha was bored waiting for Sesshoumaru to appear. He almost decided to leave and come back another time when a pink orb apperared in front of him,

"Well, Sesshoumaru, how nice of you to grace us with your presence.", Inuyasha remarked, sarcastically, as the daiyoukai appeared.

Sesshoumaru regarded the hanyou with a sneer. He would never openly admit to his younger brother that he actually felt a tad bit of respect for him,

"I assume you came for something in particular, little brother.", Sesshoumaru responded in his normal, dry, demeaning voice.

"Yea, actually I did. Shinta's mother. What clan did she belong to?"

"Her clan? She belonged to the Bokusouchi tribe over by the coast of the Western Lands. The tribe is almost extinct. They're not very powerful and raids by other, stronger, demons have rendered their numbers defenseless."

"What type of inu tribe were they? Were they violent or calm?", Inuyasha pushed.

"If they were violent, Inuyasha, they wouldn't be nearly extinct. Shinta's scent belongs to the omega inu."

"The very bottom of the pack, huh?", Inuyasha mused.

"I do not know what you are looking for, but, I believe there is one omega inu left in the tribe. A elderly female. That is, if she hasn't died from old age."

Inuyasha mulled this information over for a moment,

"Where exactly would I find the tribe?"

"Out in the ocean, there is a monolithic rock rising from its depths. It is the tribe's cave. If you go northwest, you won't miss it."

Inuyasha turned and left without another word. Rin simply waved and said,

"See you later."

--

Inuyasha looked at the sky,

"It's only mid-day. I still have time.", he decided.

He headed to the coast and followed it north. He finally found his goal. Off in the distance, a huge rock formation appeared. Standing on the beach across from it, Inuyasha was impressed by it's proportions. From where he stood, it looked like a lifeless rock. He wondered if the tribe had other ways to reach it other than swimming. He jumped at a sound behind him and twirled around, his hand on Tessaiga's hilt, ready to draw his sword. He faced an elderly, rough-coated, white dog. His nose told him the dog was a demon,

"Who are you?", the elderly dog questioned him, "And, why are you here?"

"That's not important.", Inuyasha muttered, "Are you the alpha male of the pack?"

"Why does a hanyou want to know about our pack? What purpose will it serve you?"

"Listen, old man, in case your sense of smell is gone, I'm an inu-hanyou...", Inuyasha began.

"I am not stupid. I know what you are. I want to know why you are here. What business could you possibly have with this tribe?"

"It's my son."

"Your son? You have a pup? How can that be?"

"This pup is not mine by birth. His scent belongs to this tribe."

"How do you know this?"

"His mother and her companions were killed 14 years ago near my village. My brother told me his scent belonged here, to the omega inu."

The elderly dog peered at Inuyasha curiously,

"Who is your brother?"

"You ask a lot of questions, old man.", Inuyasha complained.

"Answer my questions or I will not assist you.", the dog replied, tersely.

Inuyasha sighed,

"Sesshoumaru.", he answered.

"Your brother is Lord Sesshoumaru? You are the hanyou son of the Inu no Taisho? I would have thought you long dead by now. Honestly, I was surprised to see and adult hanyou near here."

"Yea, well, I hate to disappoint you, but, as you can see, I'm very much alive. Now, are there any omegas left in your tribe?"

"Old Kameko lives on. The bitch you speak of must be her daughter, Mika. Kameko should never have had any pups, befitting her rank. It was a rogue inu demon that impregnated her. How Mika survived, I will never figure out. After yet another raid on our tribe, a few inus escaped, fleeing for their lives. Mika was one of them. So, you say she had a pup, did she?"

"A hanyou pup.", Inuyasha informed him.

"So, the bitch mated with a human."

"Not by choice. She was attacked.", Inuyasha told him.

"She told you this? I wouldn't believe her. She's was always looking for attention."

"No, actually. I found his father through his scent. His father was a low class bandit."

The elder dog huffed, "How befitting a bitch of her status."

"Is there a way I can meet this Kameko?"

"I guess no harm can come from it. Follow me, hanyou."

The elder dog led Inuyasha to a small cave. As they walked further into the cave, Inuyasha realized it was an undersea tunnel. He was impressed by the inus method of getting to their home. Light trickled in a short ways ahead and soon, they stood on the island. What Inuyasha thought was a dead rock was actually teeming with animals, moss and grass. He continued to follow the old man into another cave, which opened up into a large central room, the ceiling of which was far above his head.

Other inus lined the room. Their numbers were quite small. Many eyes followed him as he walked behind the older dog,

"Kameko. You have a visitor.", the elder dog called out.

An ancient, scraggly voice responded,

"I? Have a visitor? Who would visit me?"

"A hanyou male."

"WHAT? Why would I want to speak with a stupid hanyou?"

"He claims he is the son of the Inu no Taisho and brother to Lord Sesshoumaru. He says he has knowledge of your daughter."

A old, emaciated, dog crawled out of her hiding spot. Inuyasha figured she had to be older than Toutousai and Toutousai was at least 1500 years old. He was genuinely shocked, looking at her appearance, that she was still breathing,

"You claim you know of my daughter, hanyou?"

"She's dead, but, yes, I know of her. She was dead when I found her and the other male inus she travelled with. She left behind a hanyou son that my mate and I have raised as our own pup."

"She birthed a hanyou? Why would this interest me?"

"Your daughter didn't choose to mate. She was attacked by a human bandit. My son was the result."

"And, you sought me out why?"

Inuyasha was not liking the way this was going. The obvious hatred toward him was undeniable. He had dealt with this before. He had long ago learned that even being the son of the most respected dog demon in Japan's history didn't bring respect when you are merely a hanyou. And, right now, the scorn was even more intolerable coming from an omega ranked demon,

"He is 14 now. My mate has told him about his parentage. She feels he is searching for answers as to who he is. When I heard you were alive, I came to see about bringing him to meet his kin."

The old female dog smiled wickedly, "You have a mate, do you? What mud pile did you dredge her up from?"

Laughter echoed in the cavern. Inuyasha realized he had wasted his time. He growled at the dog,

"Listen, you old bitch. You can insult me all you want but, you do NOT insult my mate. GOT THAT?"

The room became so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The old female bared her teeth,

"How dare you, a lowly hanyou, speak to me like that."

Inuyasha realized that the inus had all stood up and were surrounding him. He unsheathed the Tessaiga,

"Fine by me. I'll take you all on."

The air swirled around the blade and on of the younger males began to step back,

"Do not attack. That sword holds great power."

The other males backed down,

"Smart move.", Inuyasha said to them, "I'll be going now."

He quickly disappeared through the entrance he came in and headed back to shore. He looked back at the rock and his heart ached for his son. He knew the feelings all to well. He hoped that maybe one of his kin would be interested in getting to know Shinta. He realized that he, Kagome, the pups and the villagers were Shinta's best hope for a secure future.

--

It was suppertime when Inuyasha reached the village. The delectable smell of roasted boar and potatoes wafted through the window of his hut. He walked in and hugged his wife,

"Where have you been all day?", she asked him.

"I needed to get some questions answered. I'll tell you later", he said, sitting on the floor.

"Mama had to cut Mikito open today and take out his pendix, daddy", Shiori informed him.

Inuyasha looked at her and then at Kagome,

"What?"

"Mikito had severe stomach pains. He had what is called an appendicitis and I had to remove it or he could have died. I successfully removed it and, as long as I can stave off infection, he should be fine."

Inuyasha nodded his understanding. He knew Sango didn't need anymore heartbreak right now.

--

"So, you're finally awake, I see.", said an older gentleman.

"Where ... where am I?", the young man asked.

"You're in the Yashida village. We found you washed up on the riverbank three weeks ago. You've been unconcious ever since. We didn't think you would live.", the older man told him, "My name is Akihito. I am the village doctor. What is your name?"

The young man looked around at the hut, confused,

"My name? My name is ... I ... don't know."


	6. Rin's Decision

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Six

Rin's Decision

The young man walked through the village. It was a small, fishing village with neatly manicured huts scattered around. Numerous boats lined the beach and fish nets hung over fences to dry. The older women were busy preparing the morning's haul for smoking, salting, or however else they chose to preserve the food. Children were playing with some village dogs as the men walked through the village.

"Since you are new to the village you are welcome to stay with me in my hut.", the doctor told the young man.

"That is very gracious of you.", the younger man answered.

"Since you do not remember your name, do you mind if I give you the name Yoshito? It means 'Lucky man'. I believe you fit that name."

The younger man stopped and mulled over the name,

"Yoshito? Yes, that will do just fine.", he agreed.

"So, you have no memory of your life before or how you ended up in the river?", Akihito asked.

"No, I'm sorry, I do not. And, it bothers me greatly. I do not know what I was or if I was married ... nothing."

"Your memory may return soon enough. Meanwhile, stay with us. You're welcome to fish with the men in the mornings. You will find that we are a friendly village."

The young man bowed, "I am forever in your debt, Akihito."

--

Kagome walked up to Sango's tea house,

"How is Mikito this morning?", she asked.

"Much better thanks to you, Kagome. How can I ever thank you?", Sango gushed, rushing to hug her friend.

Kagome hugged back,

"No need for any special thanks. You're an incredible friend. I'm glad I could take care of Mikito."

"Kagome, I am so sorry. I must be acting like a total fool. Suki and Cho have been running the tea house ... I just can't seem to get it together.", Sango fretted.

"Sango, it's only been a few weeks. You have to give yourself time to mourn and grieve. Suki and Cho are plenty old enough to help take care of the children, the hut and the tea house. Plus, Nara's helping out and so is Shippou. And, Inuyasha, Kai and Kohaku have been taking care of the crops. Don't even think about what you're acting like because, you're acting like a woman who just lost her husband and best friend. I admire your strength, Sango. If the tables were turned and it was me mourning Inuyasha ... I know I'd be huddled in the far end of my hut bawling my eyes out."

Sango smiled at Kagome's words,

"You're a strong woman, too, Kagome. I can't see you hiding in your hut."

"I don't know. This era isn't kind to women ... especially widows with children. I'd be terrified of the future if something happened to Inuyasha."

"To be perfectly honest, Kagome, I'd be more scared than I am now if something happened to Inuyasha. I've come to rely on his strength, stamina and extraordinary senses.", Sango smiled.

"We all depend on him heavily. And, I'll tell you this, when I urged him all those years ago to talk to Sesshoumaru, Toutousai, and Myouga about his dog-demon roots, I wasn't sure what to expect. It unnerved me a little to know he thought of us as his pack until Myouga explained all the fine points to me. I think I always knew, in my mind, that he considered himself the alpha male just by the way he acted. But, to hear him tell me that he always had trouble relying on us because he felt like he had to protect his pack ... I guess I was touched by how deeply he felt about us. And then, to come into the knowledge that I was always the alpha female in his mind, even during all the crisis' with Kikyou, it kinda blew me away.", she giggled.

"Not as much as hearing him bark, yip and growl at the pups.", Sango began laughing heartily.

Kagome screwed up her face, "Yea, that too. Dog language. Who woulda known?"

Both women enjoyed a good laugh at Inuyasha's dog traits,

"Say, Sango, I need to go to market to get some fabric to make the kids new kimonos for the summer festival. Care to join me?"

"I'd love to, Kagome. Maybe that's just what I need is to get out amongst people. Plus, I do need material as well for the festival."

"Let me check on Mikito first and then I'll let Inuyasha know we're going. He'll probably want me to take Kanta along."

"Ok.", agreed Sango.

--

After checking on her patient, Kagome went back to her hut. Packing some things in a small bag, she picked up Kanta from the floor and told Shiori where she was going. Walking outside, she passed Izayoi and told her to start dinner. She found Inuyasha in the back of the house chopping wood,

"Inuyasha.", she called.

He looked up from his work and laid the axe down He walked over to Kagome,

"What's up?"

"Sango and I are heading into the southern market. We want to get some fabric to make kimonos for the festival."

"I dunno, Kagome, ... that road can be dangerous. You know alot of bandits hang out around there. I don't like the idea of two women and a kid going there alone."

Kagome gave him her, 'Oh, please.' look,

"I think me and Sango can handle ourselves.", she told him.

He shifted nervously from one foot to the other,

"Alright. But, don't be too long. I don't wanna hafta come after ya."

He wrapped his arms around her and gazed into her eyes. He loved how her eyes sparkled in the daylight. He touched his forehead to hers as his lips kissed her nose,

"MAMA! LET'S GO!", Kanta screamed out, loudly.

Inuyasha backed away and shook his head, trying to clear his sensitive ears of the ringing,

"Hey, kid, you need to tone down that yell.", he chastized his son, gently.

"Imagine how good he'll be screaming out attack names.", Kagome smiled at him.

"He still has a while before that happens.", Inuyasha noted, "Don't be too long, you got it?"

"Of course. Bye."

--

Kagome reigned the horse and wagon into the busy village. Jumping off the wagon, the women began to approach various shops looking at the goods. Although they made frequent trips to the shops, a few shopkeepers refused to sell to them because of Kagome's demonic relations. Not that it bothered them. They both knew how much they could spend in this village and both families gladly took their business to the shops that welcomed them with open arms. One shopkeeper was particularly obnoxious and, whenever Inuyasha wasn't present, he would heckle Kagome,

"Hey beautiful. Why don't you come over here and I'll show you how a real man treats a woman.", he called out.

She yelled back, sweetly, "Oh? You know a real man? Does he take care of you? He must if you believe he knows how to treat me."

"BITCH!", he spat at her.

"WHY, THANK YOU! I'LL TAKE THAT AS A COMPLIMENT!", she yelled back.

Sango blushed redder than Inuyasha's hitoe as Kagome giggled at the exchange,

"Why do you bait him, Kagome?", Sango asked her friend.

"I dunno. It's fun, I guess.", she responded, gleefully.

They wound their way through the marketplace picking up some small trinkets and, most importantly, fabric,

"Shiori would just love this fabric.", Kagome mused, "She adores butterflies and dragonflies."

"Do you see any fabric with turtles on it, Kagome? Cho loves turtles.", Sango said.

Kagome moved around to another side,

"Here, Sango. This has turtles and cranes on it but, it's green. Does Cho like green?"

"As long as it has turtles, she'll love it.", Sango assured her.

The afternoon passed by quickly and Kagome soon found her wallet very light,

"Uh oh. Inuyasha's gonna have my hide. I didn't realize I had spent so much.", she moaned.

"Well, you know what you do, Kagome?", Sango eyed her playfully.

"What?"

"Before you tell him how much you've spent, make sure he's VERY VERY happy. That's what I did with Miroku ...", she started, but, then teared up, "I'm sorry, Kagome."

"Don't worry about it. C'mon, let's go.", Kagome urged.

Kagome loaded up the wagon and climbed in the seat beside Sango. Kanta sat between them and leaned against his mother's side, exhausted. Heading back to the village, she pulled onto the road that always worried Inuyasha. They had passed safely the first time but, they weren't so lucky this time. Four men blocked their path,

"Well, well. Lookit what we got here, guys."

"Yea, chief. Two fine looking ladies."

"Hey girls, wanna have some fun?"

Kagome stared at the defiantly,

"Move or you'll be sorry.", she ordered them.

"Didja hear that, fellas? We hafta move or we gonna be sorry. Whatcha gonna do? Hit us with your fan?"

The horse pranced nervously as the men approached,

"Please don't make me do this.", Kagome pleaded with them.

The men just laughed as they came closer. Kanta held his mother's waist tightly as Sango just shook her head at the stupidity of the bandits,

"Men.", she commented, under her breath.

Kagome extended her hand, allowing the wind to flow freely around her palm. She was ready send off a burst of energy when a familiar voice rang out from beside her,

"Move."

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru,

"Why is he here?", she wondered aloud.

When the men drew swords and advanced on the demon, he let loose with his vine whip attack. Blood and body parts flew through the air as Sango and Kanta cringed,

"Didja have to kill'em, Sesshoumaru?", Kagome scolded him.

Kanta stood up,

"Hiya Uncle.", he called.

The daiyoukai barely acknolwedged the little boy as he walked up to Kagome,

"Miko. I need to speak with you."

"As friendly as always, eh, Sesshoumaru?", Kagome sarcastically remarked, as she handed the reigns to Sango, "I'll be right back. Kanta, stay with Aunt Sango."

The little boy plopped back down on the seat,

"Otay."

Kagome followed her brother-in-law to a remote location,

"What's with all the privacy?", she commented.

Sesshoumaru ignored her comment,

"I find that I am in ... need ...", he seemed to cringe, "of your ... assistance, miko."

"You can call me Kagome, you know.", she told him, but, her face registered shock, "The great Sesshoumaru needs MY assistance? This is a monumental occasion."

She received a very nasty look from the demon and she berated herself for her comment,

"What can I do to help you?"

Sesshoumaru turned and walked to a tree stump,

"I am unfamiliar with what you ningens call ... courtship."

"Courtship? Why are you interested in that?"

He turned to look at her,

"How do ningen males woo a ningen female?"

A lightbulb went off in Kagome's head,

"Ahhhhhh. Now I get it. You want to woo Rin!", she clapped her hands in joy, "Oh, this is wonderful!"

Sesshoumaru appeared uncomfortable at Kagome's reaction. Kagome smiled and approached him,

"You know, Sesshoumaru, in the time I've been here I have notice one major flaw in you."

Sesshoumaru's angry look returned,

"You're too serious. Lighten up."

"That is not the proper attitude for a daiyoukai like myself."

"Geez, you sound like a klingon.", she muttered.

"A what?"

"Never mind. Look, if you want to woo Rin then, give her gifts. Flowers, kimonos ..."

Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding,

"A kill."

Kagome's face twisted in disgust,

"Yea. That, too."

"Like dog demons, if she accepts the gift she accepts the suitor."

"You could say that."

Without a word of gratitude, the daiyoukai elevated into the air and flew off,

"You're welcome.", Kagome said to the sky.

Kagome returned to the wagon and climbed up. She told Sango what Sesshoumaru wanted, surprising Sango,

"Wow. I never knew he had such feelings in him. And, to woo a human? If they mate, they'll have hanyous. With how much he despises Inuyasha, I'm shocked."

"I think we're reading him all wrong. I have a feeling he doesn't despise Inuyasha as much as we would like to believe. And, it's not just any human. This is Rin. She taught him compassion and empathy."

"True."

--

Inuyasha greeted Kagome and Kanta when they walked into the hut. The other pups soon crowded the kitchen as Izayoi's mouth-watering roast was cut. Kagome couldn't resist telling her husband about Sesshoumaru. He was, to say the least, shocked,

"He wants to do WHAT?"

"Woo Rin."

"But ... but ... they'd have hanyous. I can't see him allowing a hanyou to be part of his bloodline. He rules the Western Lands. He wouldn't allow a hanyou to inherit that. Besides, he hates hanyous ... he hates me."

Kagome smiled softly,

"Does he, Inuyasha?", she looked into her husband's golden orbs, "Does he?"

--

Sesshoumaru watched as the slivered moon crept into the night sky. Behind him, he heard Rin's soft whistle as she returned with Jaken and Ah-Un from gathering food,

"Lord Sesshoumaru.", she greeted him with a bow, "I know you do not care for human food but, I have some delicious canteloupes and berries. Would you care to join us?"

"I have killed a boar. It is by the riverbank. I figured we could eat that as well."

"That sounds delicious", she spoke joyously, "Let me go and prepare it. I know you prefer it raw but, I can't stomach raw boar meat. Do you want the brain and heart?"

"Yes, Rin."

Rin skipped away happily to prepare the food for her lord. Jaken eyed his master warily,

'_What has gotten into Lord Sesshoumaru? He's normally not this talkative. Or this accomodating_.'

"You have something to say, Jaken?"

Jaken shook himself out of his thoughts, not realizing he had been staring the whole time at the demon,

"No. No. Very sorry.", he bowed.

Sesshoumaru tried to take Kagome's advice and relax as he sat beside Rin and ate the food she had prepared,

"Oh, look, my lord, a shooting star.", Rin pointed out, "You're supposed to make a wish on a shooting star."

"A wish? Why?", he asked her.

"Oh, it's an old custom. They say if you make a wish on a shooting star, it'll come true. I don't know if that's real or not, but, I like to think so. I like to believe in things like that."

"Rin."

"Yes, my lord?"

"I wonder if you would ... do me the honor of becoming my mate?"

Jaken's mouth flew open,

"WHAT? My lord, you cannot be serious. To mate with her would been your pups would be filthy hanyous like Inuyasha."

"JAKEN!", Sesshoumaru scolded, harshly.

Jaken cowered,

"Yes, my lord?"

"LEAVE!"

"No, Lord Sesshoumaru, Jaken's right. Any children I would give you would be hanyous.", she hung her head, "You dislike Inuyasha, your own brother. How could I risk that you would hate any offspring we would have."

Sesshoumaru took her hands in his,

"I would not ask this of you if I was not prepared to raise hanyou pups. You have proven to me your strength and loyalty beyond any pure demoness. You would be my ideal mate."

Rin cried softly,

"But, my lord, I am only human. As Lord Jaken once made clear, a hundred years to a demon is like a blink of an eye and I will long be dead."

"I can take care of that, Rin, if you agree to be my mate."

"My lord, my heart is pounding. I have always felt a strong bond with you. I am even positive that I love you. I would be honored to become your mate but, I must first ask something of you?"

"Anything you want, Rin."

"I want you to promise me that you will take a demoness concubine so that you can have full demon heirs."

"Rin ..."

"Promise me, my lord.", she insisted, "I never want to risk a change in your feelings toward any children I may bear. I want you to have a full blooded demon heir to your kingdom."

Sesshoumaru looked into the young girl's eyes. He could not deny her request, by any means,

"I will abide by your request, Rin."

"Then I will gladly be your mate, my lord."

--

Kagome kissed Inuyasha softly,

"Why do you need to check up on Shinta?"

"It's his human night. I'm just concerned, that's all."

"I can't believe how overprotective you are."

He smiled a depreciating smile,

"I won't be gone all night. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that, mister.", she teased him.

He pulled her close,

"By the way, did you need to spend all that money at market?", he toyed with her.

"You ... knew?"

"I checked your money bag. Now I guess I have to go slay a few demons."

"I'm sorry.", she pouted.

"No, you're not. But, you'll repay me tonight when I get back.", his eyes twinkled.

"Hentai dog."

He playfully swatted her butt,

"You love it and you know it."

He turned around and headed for the well.

--

Hopping out into the modern age, Inuyasha sniffed around. He caught Shinta's scent coming from their home. He wondered why Shinta wasn't with the rest of the family. Entering the house, he called his son's name,

"SHINTA!"

"Dad.", came a shocked voice, "Why are you here?"

"Can't I come see you?", Inuyasha questioned him.

"Of course you can. I just wasn't expecting you."

"Whatcha been up to?"

"Oh, nothing much.", he lied, "Helping o-jii-chan around the shrine, helping grandma around the house. The usual stuff. I also hang out around the anime section of town. I've gotten in to some really good mangas. One of my favorite manga authors is named Takahashi Rumiko. Her Ranma 1/2 series is really funny."

"You're not causing any trouble now, are you?"

"DAD!", Shinta whined, "You think I would get into trouble? Just ask grandma."

"I just might. Hanging around the house tonight?"

"It's my human night. You always warned me not to stray too far on this night."

"At least you listened to me."

"Where's mama?"

"She stayed home. She thinks I'm being too overprotective of you."

"She's right."

"Fine. I'll stop coming by. Geez. Go and throw your old man out."

"You know I didn't mean that."

Inuyasha walked closer to Shinta and tousled his black hair. The two men stared into each other's eyes,

"Well, I'll go then. I told your mother I wouldn't stay."

"Ok, dad.", Shinta spoke, softly.

Inuyasha looked into his son's eyes again before turning to leave. Shinta breathed easy again once Inuyasha's scent faded,

"I hope he doesn't do that too often.", he said to himself.

--

Inuyasha jumped out of the well and headed back to his hut. Entering the village, he was surprised to see all the villagers outside. They were transfixed on a figure on the other side of the village. Entering the crowd, he saw Kagome and the pups at the front of the village. In front of them, he saw what had the villagers were looking at but, he didn't understand why.

Standing at the edge of the village was a medium sized, reddish brown, fluffy dog. He walked up to Kagome,

"What's going on?", he asked her.

"Oh, Inuyasha. I'm glad you've come back.", she told him, "That dog is asking for you."

"For me? I don't know that dog."

The dog then transformed into a beautiful, shapely, human figure,

"Mama. She doesn't have clothes on.", Shiori whispered.

"I can see that.", Kagome responded.

"Lord Inuyasha.", she addressed him, bowing, "Son of the Inu no Taisho and brother of Lord Sesshoumaru. I am called Mariko, daughter of beta inu Nao of the Bokusouichi tribe of the Western Lands."

--

_A/N: Awwww. The manga is done. It's going to seem weird not looking for the translations each week. Let's hope a new anime is on the horizon soon. I know I would love to see many manga scenes animated (Kagura's death, Sesshoumaru's mother, Kikyou's death, Kanna's death to name a few.). Tell me ... did any of you guys feel slighted that Kouga just DISAPPEARED? Like, "Crap! Lost the jewel shards! I'm worthless! Boo Hoo! Pity me!" And what was the whole point behind his Freddy Krueger weapon? I thought it was going to help him be strong without the shards. I had also hoped for more info on InuPapa - like a NAME! I'm kinda kicking myself - I've been laughing my arse off all day over "Doggy Doggy. Your a toy. Do something about the twins." and "Slay the kitsune. Shippou. Slay." Why didn't I think of that?? Oh well ... it was interesting how she ended it. It leaves the entire window open for fanfiction writers on Inuyasha and Kagome's future - like the lifespan difference. I always try to address that in my stories because I can't imagine Kagome growing old with Inuyasha staying a kid! That's enough of my rambling for now. Chapter seven up soon! _


	7. O Brother How Art Thee

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Seven

O Brother How Art Thee

Inuyasha eyed the demon warily,

"What do you want with me?", he asked, suspiciously.

"I feel it may be more prudent to talk in private, my lord."

"Ha! I don't think so!", Kagome huffed.

"Whatever you want to talk to me about, you can mention in front of my wife.", Inuyasha told her.

"Fine, my lord. As you wish.", she bowed her head, "I noticed you when you visited our tribe. I am the last remaining female in our tribe able to reproduce. I am looking for a worthy male to impregnate me. You are the son of the great Inu no Taisho. Even though you are merely a half-demon, any pup I would produce would have the blood of the greatest demon ever to live running through his veins. I am here to ask that I be allowed to become your concubine."

Inuyasha's eye twitched nervously,

"W-w-what?", he asked.

Kagome seethed,

"HELL NO!", was her curt reply.

"I mean it only as a business deal. My tribe will soon become extinct because there are no heirs. I need to mate with a strong demon to continue on my tribe. You have produced pups so, obviously, you are a good candidate.", she continued.

Inuyasha was still in shock. Kagome was merely pissed,

"Listen up, you hussy! No one - demoness, human or otherwise - is gonna mate with MY husband. You got that?"

"I mean no offense. Concubines are common among lords. And, having a full demoness concubine could raise Lord Inuyasha's ranking among other demons. So, you see, it is beneficial for both of us, my lord."

Inuyasha had heard enough,

"Sorry. But, my ranking among other demons means nothing to me. And, I have no desire to produce pups with anyone other than my mate. You're barking up the wrong tree, missy."

"But, my lord, please, listen to me. I NEED to be able to guarantee the life of my tribe ..."

"There were enough males in the tribe. Have one of them mate with a demoness.", Inuyasha spat out.

"The men left are unable to produce. On top of that, we are such a low-ranking tribe ..."

"And yet you want to mate with ME?", Inuyasha asked her, increduously, "Why do you think that I would stoop low enough to mate with such a low ranking demoness seeing as who my father was?"

"You ARE a hanyou ..."

Kagome had had enough,

"Listen, wench. Inuyasha may be a hanyou but, he's done more things than most full blooded demons have done. So, quit looking down your nose at him. You're not worth his time let alone his seed! Now, get out of my village before I hurt you."

"I smell that you are a hanyou, but, not by birth. Why is she so special to you, my lord?", the demoness questioned.

"Because I love her, that's why.", Inuyasha answered, simply.

"Love? Demons do not love. Mating is merely for arrangement. Status. I guess that emotion is because of the human in you."

"That's not the only quality I inherited from my mother.", Inuyasha stated, proudly, crossing his arms across his chest and closing his eyes in disgust, "Now, leave this village at once.", he commanded.

The demoness threw her head up high and growled,

"Fine. I should never have wasted my time here."

She transformed back into her canine form and sped away,

"That was strange.", commented Kai.

"Takes all kinds, I guess.", Izayoi responded back.

"Mama? What's a conkabine?", Shiori looked at her mother for clarification.

"Quite simply, my dear, a whore. A more respected whore but, a whore nonetheless.", Kagome told her.

"Oh. Like what Uncle Miroku talked about. Girls who mate with lots of men. That's doesn't sound nice.", Shiori remarked.

"They have their place.", Inuyasha commented, "Not that I care to dally with them. I couldn't imagine mating with someone without caring for them."

Kagome smiled at him,

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Let's get inside. It's late. I think we gave the villagers enough of a show for the night, don't ya think?", Inuyasha motioned to the slowly dissapating villagers.

"Uh, yea. I agree.", Kagome said, after a yawn.

Inuyasha follwed his mate and pups into the hut but, stopped just before entering,

'_She didn't go far_.', he realized, '_I wonder what she's scheming_?'

--

The next afternoon had Inuyasha nervously pacing the village,

'_Tonight's the night of the new moon and that damn demoness is still not far. I don't like it_.'

A shadow passed overhead. Inuyasha looked up,

'_Damn. Why's he here_?'

Sesshoumaru landed beside his brother and Rin hopped down,

"Hello, Lord Inuyasha.", she said, cheerily.

"Rin.", he acknowledged her.

Rin skipped away toward Kagome's hut,

"So, you gonna mate with her?", Inuyasha questioned his brother.

"I do not see where that is any of your business, little brother.", Sesshoumaru replied, "Rin wanted to meet with the miko, nothing more. That is the only reason I am here."

"You talk to my wife, alone, about Rin then, yes, I feel it IS my business.", Inuyasha retorted, "You can't stand having me in your great and powerful bloodline yet, you're gonna fuck a human and create a few hanyous just for good measure. Gee, I'd love to have you for a dad.", the sarcasm dripped off of Inuyasha's tongue.

Sesshoumaru wasn't in the mood to be messed with. His arm shot out, his hand grabbing his brother's throat and closed in, raising the hanyou off the ground,

"Any hanyous Rin births will be better behaved than you, little brother. Then you will see just how ignorant you are.", the voice was cold.

Inuyasha struggled against his capture, his hands trying to free his throat. He heard Kagome's voice,

"RAKKA!", she yelled out.

The powerful energy burst burned Sesshoumaru's hand, making him release Inuyasha. Inuyasha fell to the ground, coughing and hacking, trying to get his breath. Sesshoumaru stared at his hand and the smoke emanating off of it. He turned to Kagome,

"WENCH!"

Rin came out from behind Kagome, tears in her eyes,

"My Lord, as long as you treat Lord Inuyasha that way, I can never be your mate."

She turned and ran back into the hut, crying. Kagome shook her head and followed her. Inuyasha looked up at his brother,

"Smooth move, asshole. Now she sees your true colors."

Sesshoumaru said nothing but, simply stared at the hut that Kagome and Rin had entered.

--

Rin sat down on a pillow and sobbed,

"How could I ever consider becoming his mate? He would never love a hanyou child.", she cried, as Izayoi tried to comfort her.

Kagome began going through her supplies of herbs, gathering certain ones. Grabbing her mortar and pestal, she stood up and headed into a back room that contained a small altar,

"I'm gonna put a stop to this damn sibling rivalry myself.", she mumbled, crushing different herbs together and mixing them with some other ingredients.

Feeling confident in her mixture, she began to pray over the crushed leaves, inciting a small spell. Blowing out the candles she had lit, she thanked the gods for listening and headed back out to the kitchen. Grabbing a teapot, she brewed a tea, adding blueberries, raspberries and honey to cover the bitter taste of the other ingredients. Izayoi looked on, curiously,

"Mama?". she asked.

"Hon, I'm telling you right now, men can be scum deep inside. Even your father. I'm tired of all this crap between him and your Uncle. I'm putting a stop to it tonight."

"How are you gonna do that?", asked Rin, through her tears.

"I have the power. This will force them to have to be nice to each other."

Rin and Izayoi looked at each other, neither comprehending the priestess' words. As soon as her tea was brewed and cooled, she poured two cups and placed them on a tray with some mocchi balls. She stood up and carried the tray outside. Rin and Izayoi followed, their curiousity getting the better of them.

Sure enough, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were biting each other's heads off. Inuyasha's mouth tart and foul as always and Sesshoumaru's cool, yet degrading, voice sending put downs back at his brother. Villagers, including Shippou, Sango, her kids and Inuyasha's other pups, stared at the showdown in disbelief,

"Gentlemen.", Kagome announced, happily, "Come, have some tea and snacks."

Inuyasha's stomach never refused food and he quickly left the argument to grab some mocchi balls and a cup of tea. He took a whiff of the tea,

"What the hell is in this, Kagome?", he wrinkled his nose.

"It's good. It's my own special blend. Sesshoumaru?"

"I don't eat human food, wench.", he replied, coldly.

"If you want to mate with Rin you'll eat it.", she spoke through clenched teeth, "She made it.", she lied.

Sesshoumaru looked at Rin who avoided his eyes and then walked over to Kagome. Picking up a rice ball and a cup, he nodded briskly to his hostess,

"Thank you.", Kagome said, curtly.

She calmly watched as the men ate the snacks and drank the tea,

"Aren't you having any, Kagome?", Inuyasha asked.

"Mnmn ...I don't need it like you do.", she smiled an evil grin.

Inuyasha stopped in mid-bite and stared at her. Removing the rest of the rice ball from his mouth, he investigated it,

"What's in it?", he asked her, his voice suspicious.

"Why, Inuyasha, why would you think there would be anything in it?", she asked, innoncently.

"Because of your attitude, woman.", he replied.

"Really, Inuyasha, what could I have possibly done?"

"I dunno ...", he dragged the word out as he continued to eye the cake warily.

"I promise you, my love, there is nothing in the rice balls."

Inuyasha searched her eyes for any sign of deception. Detecting none, he proceeded to finish the sweet cake. Kagome smiled coyly at each man before standing up,

"So, what were you two arguing about before I came out?", she asked, sweet as pie.

"It was nothing that would concern you.", Sesshoumaru replied, coldly.

"Pfft. Yea. That's the b ...", Inuyasha stopped suddenly, his mouth moving but nothing coming out, "What the hell?", he cried out, "What's going on?"

"What is it, Inuyasha?", Kagome eyed him.

"I went to call him a b ... b ... WHAT THE FUCK? Why can't I say the word?"

"What word?", she asked.

"BASTARD! There it is! Damn. Him. I went to call him a b ... b ... S...!", Inuyasha stood up, completely frustrated, "He's an a ... a ... ", he huffed, heavily, "WHY CAN'T I CALL HIM A F ... F... WHY CAN'T I CALL HIM A NAME?", he screamed out.

"Neither of you can put the other one down, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. I put a spell on the tea. To be able to talk to one another or speak about one another you will have to be civil.", Kagome crossed her arms and looked at the flabbergasted men with a winning smile.

"WOMAN! YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO IT!", Inuyasha screamed at her.

"You asked if I had done anything to the mocchi balls and I didn't. I did something to the tea.", she replied, smartly.

"You expect this Sesshoumaru to speak civilly to that f ... f... f ... d ... d ... that ... that ... h... h.. TO HIM!"

Kagome laughed loudly, joined by Rin, Izayoi, Shippou and Sango,

"Oh, Kagome. I love it.", Sango clapped her hands together in glee.

Inuyasha growled,

"Fine. If I can't put him down I'll just use the Tessaiga!", he grasped the hilt of the sword and yanked ... nothing.

"Oh. Yea. One other thing, Inuyasha. The spell also includes that you cannot attack each other.", Kagome smiled.

Sesshoumaru looked at his hands and then at Inuyasha. He cracked his knuckles and tried to unleash his Vine Whip ... to no avail. His eyes stared coldly at Kagome,

"WOMAN! I DEMAND THAT YOU RELEASE THIS SPELL IMMEDIATELY!"

"Why, Sesshoumaru, do I sense fear in your voice?", Kagome smiled at the daiyoukai.

"You will release this spell or you will pay!", he growled, advancing on her.

Inuyasha started to get in between his brother and his wife when Sesshoumaru found himself flung backwards by a barrier. Kagome shook her head in disbelief,

"Do you really think you can harm me, Sesshoumaru? You are supposed to bow to me, remember?"

Inuyasha calmed himself down,

"Why, Kagome?"

"Because this sibling rivalry has gone far enough. Now, you're involving Rin in it and I won't have it. The spell will remain until the two of you work out your differences and start treating each other AS BROTHERS. And, I can be reasonably sure that your father would approve of my actions."

Kagome clapped her hands,

"Now children, it's getting late. Let's go inside. That goes the same for you, Inuyasha. Unless, of course, you would like to remain with your brother while you're in your human form."

"Hell, no. I don't wanna be with that i ... i ...ARGHH ... HIM ... any longer than I need to be.", Inuyasha commented.

"The feeling is mutual, little brother. I do not care to see your d ... d ...", Sesshoumaru let out an audible sigh, "Your human form. Come, Rin."

"Yes, my lord.", Rin nodded and bowed, climbing onto her master's cloud as he ascended into the air.

"Good. He's gone.", Inuyasha released a sigh of relief.

He looked into the sky. It was nearly dark. He rushed into his hut, transforming just as he closed the reed door behind him. He kept his eyes staright ahead, looking at no one in the hut, as he headed back to his bedroom.

Kagome felt a bit guilty for being so underhanded. She sent the children to bed, tucking them in and telling them a story about Peter Pan before blowing out the lamps. She headed to the back of the hut to their bedroom. Gently, she touched the wall. She knew he was angry but, she also knew that what she did had to be done. She decided to make it up to him.

She walked into her altar room and pulled out of a trunk, a sexy black merry widow corset she had bought on one of their trips to the future. She decided to play up the vamp and headed back to her bedroom. Opening the door, she entered, seeing Inuyasha staring out the window, his back to her. He never turned around. He knew she had entered but, he was too pissed to care. She struck a pose by the door and purred,

"I didn't realize that a stranger was in my house. In my bedroom."

Her words brought him out of his thoughts and he turned his head to look. He swallowed hard and his heart began racing. The lacy black corset revealed all her curves and tiny red bows sat where her nipples were. Her hair was dolled up and she had black hose held up by a garter belt. On her feet were 5 inch stiletto heels. He always felt that the shoes would hurt but, damn, they made her legs look hot. She sauntered over to him, pressing her body against his back as her hands played over the muscles in his chest,

"How did you know my husband wasn't home?", she continued her banter.

Inuyasha had played these games with her before and loved them. He tried to get "into character",

"J-j-just lucky, I guess.", he gulped.

Her fingers were making circles on his chest and he was becoming light-headed from all the blood rushing down to his groin. She removed his kosode and dropped it on the floor. She began massaging his chest and arms,

"It can get boring doing a demon all the time. I think I like the idea of doing it with a human.", she cooed.

Even though he was human, he could still feel his blood boiling. Turning around, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately, his tongue tasting every corner of her mouth. No matter how angry he was with her, he could never resist the sex kitten in her.

Breaking for air, she coyly looked into his eyes,

"I know you're upset with me.", she cooed, softly, "Punish me. Command me to do your bidding."

He thought nothing could make the night better but, he was wrong. She was allowing him complete freedom. The thought excited him more,

"You were a very bad girl today.", he cooed back, "You're going to have to really please me to make up for it."

He pushed her down onto her knees with one hand as he opened his obi and pushed his pants down with the other. Taking his engorged member in his hand, he played with it over her face,

"Lick it."

She did as commanded and licked his cock as he moved it around her face,

"I want the best damn blowjob you've ever done, woman."

She complied, grabbing the shaft with both hands and covering the purplish head with her mouth. She pumped hard, using his foreskin to create extra friction on the shaft as she sucked deeply. She hummed and moaned, creating a vibration that Inuyasha felt deep inside his loins. He tried to keep his eyes on hers because he loved looking into her eyes as she pleased him. He laced his fingers in her hair, pushing her head deeper onto his cock.

For a while, she allowed him to control her depth and speed before she took over again. She removed him from her mouth and licked her tongue up and down the shaft before descending to the huge testicular sack that hung underneath. One at a time, she pulled each sac into her mouth, slowly sucking it and rolling her tongue over it.

She felt his hands tighten in her hair. His moans indicated he was very close to release so she stopped. Settling for just kisses and touches she waited for him to return to earth. Satisfied she had prevented his release, she resumed her actions. Time and again she did this, getting him right to the peak before stopping. He had used to complain about that maneuver when she first started it but, he now dealt with it for he knew what was to come. He knew that an explosive release would be the result of her "game".

She played her game for a long time this night. Inuyasha lost count of how many times she prevented his orgasm. It was beginning to take its toll on him and he demanded his release. He manage to choke out,

"Don't stop."

As his hips bucked wildly into her mouth. Kagome prepared herself for his release. She knew the longer he went the more he gave her. He cried out his orgasm as he grabbed his shaft and began pumping. She opened her mouth so that he could watch his release, something she knew he enjoyed. He huffed and groaned as he exploded. Once he finished, he swallowed hard and brushed her hair with his hand as she cleaned him up.

He collapsed to the floor, exhausted. She kissed his face and hugged him,

"Was it good?", she whispered.

He smiled at her, "You're always good."

He kissed her passionately, scooping her up and laying her on the futon. Inuyasha helped her remove her clothes and they laid together in each other's arms kissing and giggling before falling asleep.

Inuyasha awoke to Kagome passionately sucking him again. He realized it was nearly morning and he enjoyed an extremely powerful orgasm as dawn broke and he transformed back into his half-demon self. He knew no orgasm could ever beat an orgasm released at precisely the right moment when the moonless night came to an end.

He watched Kagome get up and get dressed to prepare breakfast for the hungry mouths making noise out in the main hut. He laid there for a short while enjoying the warm sun on his bare skin and sniffing the newborn day. He realized something,

'_She finally left the area. Good. I was wondering when that bitch was gonna leave_.', he thought, referring to the inu demoness.

He got up and dressed, heading out to join his family for breakfast.

--

_A/N: Sorry for the delay. I kept having rewrite after rewrite until I finally got what I wanted. Chapter 8 won't take as long. Cya._


	8. Kagome's Success

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Eight

Kagome's Success

_Three Months Later ..._

"Good Morning, Kagome.", Sango greeted her, happily.

"Sango. Good morning. How are you feeling today?", Kagome answered her.

Kagome was sitting on her porch surrounded by piles of dyed woolen yarn. Kanta sat beside her playing with a pile of blue yarn. Sango sat down beside her friend and picked up Kanta,

"Hello, big boy. You're your daddy's big boy, aren't you?", she cooed to the toddler, picking him up with both hands and rocking him back and forth in the air, as the child giggled loudly.

She set the child down on her lap and placed a ball of yarn in his hands,

"What are you up to, Kagome?"

Kagome spread her arms open,

"Getting yarn ready to knit. Winter isn't far away and these kids have grown like weeds. Inuyasha always chastizes me for it but, I still like the kids to have woolen blankets at least, if not some sweaters.", she sighed, "He hates having to sheer the sheep."

"I saw Rin was here the other day. How's it going between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru?"

"Rin WAS here but, the all powerful daiyoukai was absent. He drops her off and splits. But, Rin says it's been nice to not hear him complain about Inuyasha. I hear Jaken bitched about Inuyasha once and Sesshoumaru sent him flying."

Sango giggled,

"Best thing you ever did, Kagome."

"Yea. Well, Inuyasha still berates me when he feels like it. Apparantly, there was a side effect I didn't know about."

"Oh?"

"Yea. He can't even THINK bad thoughts about Sesshoumaru."

"WHAT? Oh, Kagome, that's just too much!", Sango doubled over with laughter.

"I think he was trying to call his brother a pompous, arrogant bastard the other day - took him the better part of the day to realize it just wasn't gonna happen."

Sango's laughter filled the air as tears filled her eyes,

"Stop! Stop! You're killing me, Kagome!"

Kagome couldn't help but laugh with her friend,

"And this is still after THREE MONTHS!"

Inuyasha's angry voice boomed from inside the hut,

"I'm so thrilled that my anguish is causing you two ladies so much joy!"

Laughter from inside the hut ensued, causing Inuyasha's temper to rise,

"BRATS! STOP LAUGHING! IT ISN'T FUNNY!"

"Yes it is, daddy!", Shiori's voice was heard.

Inuyasha walked out of the hut, shoulders slumped, head hung low,

"I give up. I'm gonna go sheer some sheep."

"Bye.", Kagome chortled, waving her fingers at him.

Kagome looked at Sango who looked back at her and they proceeded to start laughing all over again.

--

A couple days later found Kagome packing bags for the children,

"C'mon kids. Get your things together.", she yelled into the back of the hut.

"Didja tell Sango and Shippou that we would be gone for a while, Kagome?", Inuyasha quizzed her, as he packed some fresh fruit and vegetables to bring to Kagome's mother.

"Yes I did. I told her we should be back in time for the harvest festival.", she replied.

"Good. What else do you want me to bring?"

"We should bring some lamb. You know how much Souta and my mother love fresh lamb."

Inuyasha shook his finger at his failing memory,

"That's right. Lamb. How could I forget?", he chastized himself as he headed out to the smokehouse.

Once everything was packed, the family headed out to the well,

"RONIN!", Kagome called the dog, who came bounding up to her.

Kagome looked back and saw Shiori had grabbed Mei,

"Uh, no honey, Mei can't come with us.", she told her daughter.

Shiori pouted,

"Why not? Ronin's coming."

"Shinta hasn't seen Ronin for a while and, plus, the modern world ain't ready for a two-tailed cat!", Inuyasha scolded her.

Sango walked up with Kirara,

"Shiori, can Mei stay with Kirara?"

"Mew.", said Kirara.

Shiori shuffled her feet,

"I dunnooo ..."

Kagome smiled. Shiori sounded just like her father,

"Shiori, we need Mei to stay. She helps keep the rats and mice away from the village.", her mom explained, "The village will be overrun with vermin with her gone."

"That's right.", agreed Sango, "Kirara needs her help. She can't do it alone."

"Well, if it's that important.", Shiori seemed to brighten up, "I guess she can stay. Here you go Mei.", she put the cat down, "Go play with Kirara. And keep the village safe from rats. I'll bring you some special cat food when I come back. Is that ok, mommy?"

Kagome hugged her youngest daughter,

"Of course it's ok, sweetie.", she told her.

Mei scampered away with Kirara. Kohaku came over,

"I'll help you carry this to the well.", he offered.

"Thank you, Kohaku.", Kagome said, then turned to Sango, "Take care, Sango. We'll be back sometime."

"Take your time, Kagome. And tell Shinta and your family we all said hi."

"I will. Bye-bye."

--

At the small fishing village, Yoshito began planting late autumn vegetables,

"That should do it.", he said, proudly to himself, clapping his hands together to shake off the dirt, "Aaaaah, what next?", he wondered out loud.

"How about some hot tea and scones?", came a feminine voice.

Yoshito turned around. A young lady of no more than 18 stood before him. Her dress, while pretty, was definately not from this land,

"You speak the language perfectly but, your accent says you are not native.", he said, walking over to her.

"You're very good. I am from a land called England. My name is Juliet. I have been schooled in many languages but, Japanese is my favorite."

"England? Never heard of such a land. Why are you here in our country? Not that I mind. A beauty such as yours brightens the dull landscape around here."

"My, you are poetic. I started teaching the Shogun's children in Kyoto. After I finished there, I hitched a ride with a salesman. When we arrived here, I decided to settle down."

"Beautiful and smart. Two things to be prized in a woman.", he bowed to her, "I will accept your offer of tea and ... what did you say again?"

"Scones. It's a type of biscuit."

"Sounds delicious. Lead the way, my dear."

--

Kagome wasn't out of the well 5 minutes before her son came sprinting in,

"MAMA! I'm so happy to see you!", Shinta cried out, as he flung open the wellhouse door and ran into his mother's waiting arms.

Kagome was a bit taken aback by his emotional display as she hugged him fiercely,

"Shinta. I missed you too. What a welcome! It's only been 2 weeks! You didn't greet me like that when I hadn't seen you for a month! Not that I mind, of course.", she kissed his forehead, "You're getting tall. What is my mama feeding you?"

"He comes from good stock.", said her mother, as she walked in and hugged her daughter, "Welcome back, Kagome."

Shinta grinned a huge grin as he hugged his father just as hard,

"Father. I'm glad you're back."

Inuyasha was a bit surprised as well by his son's strong embrace but, said nothing about it. He hugged his son back and found himself actually fighting back tears. He didn't understand why his son's enthusiastically warm welcome made him feel this way. His eyes were hidden by his bangs, but, his wife picked up the salty scent and bit her lip to control her own emotions as she watched the two embrace,

'_Inuyasha_.', she thought to herself, '_You're not nearly as strong as you would like us to think when it comes to the kids, are you_?'

"Go ahead and get settled.", her mother said, "I just finished making lunch. When you're ready come on into the house."

Her mother left and the family picked up everything they had brought. Shinta happily assisted his family after greeting his dog,

"What's gotten into him?", Inuyasha said softly to Kagome.

"I told you it was just a phase. He'll want to come back home soon."

"Ok. I'll admit. You were right.", Inuyasha said, opening the door to the house.

Kagome giggled, "Thank you for admitting it.", she said, a smug look on her face.

"Don't let it go to your head, wench."

Kagome smiled and practically pranced up the stairs,

"Women!", Inuyasha muttered.

--

Everybody sat down around the dining room table. Shinta and Kai giggled as they kept poking each other. Inuyasha watched the playful banter between the brothers and he felt a lump in his throat. He couldn't help but wonder and wish about what could have been ...

Kagome's mother set the food out,

"Oden! Oh, mama! I love your oden!", Kagome gushed.

"I have some shrimp ramen if you would like some, Inuyasha-kun.", she offered.

"RAMEN!!", Kai and Izayoi chorused, "Ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen"

Kagome shook her head,

"All this noise for salty noodles."

"I would love some.", Inuyasha shouted out over the din.

The family ate heartily and chatted. Shinta seemed to be the life of the party,

"He's in a good mood.", Inuyasha commented to his wife.

"He's acting like his old self again.", she agreed.

"Kagome.", her mother said, "Before I completely forget. Your publishing company called yesterday. I told them you were out of town and unreachable. They told me to have you call them as soon as humanly possible."

"HUMANLY?", Inuyasha picked up on the word, "How about as 'half-demonly' possible?", he cracked.

Kagome slapped him,

"Keep your day job. A comedian you're not."

"You're my harshest critic, my love.", he commented back, stuffing his mouth full of noodles.

She stroked his right ear,

"And your biggest fan."

--

Kagome assisted her mother with cleaning up the lunch dishes while the kids scattered to play. Inuyasha went out into the living room, flopped on the couch and grabbed the remote. Turning on the television, he saw that the news reports were on,

"Tokyo police are investgating yet another homicide in the Narita district. This is the city's 284th murder in just four months. The citizens of Tokyo are on edge as this never ending crime spree continues ..."

"Another murder? What is this city coming too?", jii-chan commented, taking a seat in a chair.

Inuyasha looked at him,

"Whaddya mean? Isn't killings normal?"

"Maybe where you come from. Our laws are so strict here ... why ...we usually only average about 20 murders a year ... if that. Now we are getting that a NIGHT", he shook his head, "No. This is serious. You never know where these madmen are going to strike next."

"Madmen? There's more than one doing the killing?", Inuyasha's curiosity was piqued.

"The cops are pretty sure it has to be more than one person. How could one person kill so many people in such a wide spread area? Anyway, in the beginning, the cops were attributing it to the Yakuza ..."

"The Yakuza? What's that?", Inuyasha asked.

"Organized crime. Groups of men who steal, kill. They run the city. Pay off the cops. Normally, they're only just a bunch of street thugs. Used to be more than that though, in the olden days. They were more of a threat. Then their numbers dropped and they started excepting any two-bit thug who wanted to join. Their crimes weren't that serious anymore ... many making money by Pachinko clubs. Until four months ago, that is. That's when the Inagawa-kai organization started taking credit for the murders of prominant members of their rival groups. Mainly, the Yamaguchi -gumi group - that largest Yakuza group in Japan.", jii-chan explained.

"Then wouldn't it be reasonable to believe they are still behind the rise in murders?", Kagome asked.

She had stood at the doorway listening to her grandfather talk. She sat down beside Inuyasha,

"You would think so, my girl, but, no. Now, even members of the Inagawa-kai clan are being targeted.", he said.

"It's probably a gang member gone bad.", Kagome said.

"Members of the Inagawa-kai clan have said it's a monster. A demon. And, the police have said the people killed were torn apart like wild dogs killed them. Since there aren't wild dogs around the police believe the killers are using claw-like weapons."

Kagome shivered. Her mind traveled back to Suikotsu of the Band of Seven. Inuyasha's mind, however, thought of his son,

"Kagome, come with me. I want to talk to you.", Inuyasha stated, getting up from the couch and walking out the door.

Kagome stood up and walked after him, following him into their house,

"Inuyasha? What is it?", she asked.

He turned to face her,

"About what your grandfather said. The murders."

"What about them?", she asked, but her voice was suspicious.

"Don't you think it's strange that these murders started happening four months ago?"

"What are you getting at, Inuyasha? Surely you're not thinking that ..."

"It makes sense, Kagome. The timing of when these murders started, the fact that they happen all over town, it looking like wild dogs tore them up ..."

She covered her ears,

"SHUT UP, INUYASHA! I won't hear of it. Our son has nothing to do with this. It's impossible."

"Kagome. I don't want to think this way either. But, even the gang members are saying it's a demon ..."

"INUYASHA! How can you stand there and speak these things? How can you even entertain the thought that Shinta is behind it all? Remember Suikotsu? He had claw-like weapons ..."

Inuyasha sighed. He wanted to believe Kagome. He wanted to believe Shinta was innocent. He shook his head,

"Kagome ... I ... just don't know.", he responded, his left hand rubbing his face and down over the back of his hair, "I just don't know what to think."

"Do you believe Shinta is capable of such heinous acts? Do you?"

Inuyasha looked deep into her eyes. How he wanted to be wrong,

"I'll talk to him.", he said to her.

"You do that. You'll see It's all a coincidence."

He nodded to her,

"I will."

"Good.", she said, her voice filled with relief, "I'm going to call my publisher."

She turned and walked into the small study and shut the door. Inuyasha stared at the closed door for a moment before taking a deep sniff to ascertain where Shinta was at. He walked outside and around to the edge of the shrine. He saw Shinta sitting with Izayoi and Kai under a small tree,

"Shinta. Come here, son.", Inuyasha called to him.

Shinta stared at his dad for a moment. He felt nervous. His dad only called him son when he was upset about something. He stood up and walked over to him,

"What's up, dad?", he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

Inuyasha put his arm around his son's shoulders,

"Let's take a walk."

"Ok."

The two walked side-by-side quietly until they reached the sacred tree. Inuyasha looked down at his son before leaping high into the branches. Shinta followed. He seated himself comfortably on a branch opposite his father, who sat on another branch, back against the tree trunk, his right leg dangling lazily off the side, his left leg bent against his chest, foot flat on the branch. His arms encircled his leg as he gazed into space,

"Dad?", Shinta's voice queried.

"I thought it might be nice to talk for a while, if that's ok with you.", Inuyasha started out.

Shinta shrugged,

"Course it is. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Dunno. I remember when I was your age, I thought I knew everything. Course, I was on my own and all."

"It must've been very lonely.", Shinta's voice was soft and sad.

"It was. Though, I've never admitted that to anybody before now."

"Not even to mama?"

"It seems I don't have to tell your mother things. Somehow ... she knows. Always did. I tried to hold up a front around her ... even in the very beginning ...", he shook his head, "She always saw straight through me."

"How did you survive?", Shinta looked at his father.

"The only way one can survive. By learning to be faster, smarter and more cunning than your enemy."

"Didja kill? I mean, besides animals for food and all."

"When I had to ... and, sometimes, even when I didn't."

"Why did you kill if you didn't have too?

"I was a hanyou. I didn't belong to one group or the other. Not really a demon. Not really a human. Mostly, I killed to survive. Sometimes ...", Inuyasha hung his head, "I killed out of sheer anger."

"Oh.", Shinta stared at the tree branch.

"I was determined to find my place in the world. At the time, I thought I had a place and that I was the only one in it. I was so lonely that ... I even was ready to give up my demonic side to be accepted."

"You were?"

"Yea. I fell in love - or, at least, I thought I did. I've come to realize it wasn't true love ... if it had been we would have trusted each other more than we did. But, we didn't. We were both too conditioned to how we had been raised - me to be distrustful of everybody and her to be distrustful of demons. In the end, it cost us both dearly. It cost me 50 years of my life but, ", he stopped for a moment and looked up to the sky, "It cost her more ... her life."

"It could've still been love, dad. Alot of people love more than once."

"Don't get me wrong, Shinta. I loved her. Dearly. But, it wasn't a true love. A lasting love. For the longest time, I felt I had no right to be happy and free. I felt guilty that I was alive and she was dead. Your mother was beside me and, yet, I couldn't enjoy the feelings that she brought to me. With your mother I found everything that I had ever wanted in my life. Everything that I had dreamed about and believed I would never have. Friendship, total, utter trust ... I think that was one of the biggest factors that set up my feelings for her ... her complete trust in me ... she placed her very life in my hands ... even when she barely knew me ... even after I tried to kill her ..."

"Well, she did get you under her control, dad."

Inuyasha lifted the subjugation necklace,

"This thing? Pfft. This is nothing. There were many times I could have killed her and there wouldn't have been anything she could do about it. When I carried her on my back and leapt across crevices. When she slept. And, she knew it, too. I know she did. That's what I mean by ultimate trust. She trusted me to protect her. Kikyou never did that. Your mother brought friends into my life. She accepted me for who I was ... no matter what I was. She let me know, early on, that she preferred me as a hanyou. And, I learned what true strength was. It's learning to rely on others in your time of need. It's the courage to say your wrong or admit your fears ... or ... even to cry for someone."

Shinta looked at his father,

"I never knew ..."

"You know, your mother was only the second person to cry for me in my entire life. My mother was the first. But ... she cried because she knew what my life would be like ... the challenges I would face growing up. Your mother ... no ... she cried for ME ... she feared for my life ... she ... thought I would die ... until that moment in time, I figured no one cared if I lived or died. I thought it wouldn't make a difference. She barely knew me ... she hadn't been by my side very long ... yet, she shed tears for my sake. If I hadn't been so weak, I would've taken her in my arms and held her. Instead, I just asked to lay my head on her lap. She obliged. I will never forget how her scent relaxed me. It was the first time that I admitted to myself that she was special. I would later come to realize that the very reason we were born was so we could find each other. I remember your mother saying once that there is someone for everyone. And, that's the way it is with us. I realized that all my troubles ... everything I went through in my life ... was to prepare me for her. I would never have appreciated her like I do if my life hadn't gone the way it did. And, your mother was born to teach me about love, caring, strength, friendship, loyalty, trust."

Inuyasha's eyes misted over,

"If angels exist ... your mother ... she's definately an angel."

Shinta hugged his knees to his chest,

"I'm glad you adopted me. And, I understand what you're trying to tell me. I know I have a place right now ... with you and mama, Kai, Izayoi, Shiori and Kanta. I know I don't really belong here. I belong back in our time.", Shinta looked over at his father, "Thank you. For being my dad."

Shinta got up and sat on his father's lap. He hugged his father tightly and his father reciprocated,

"I love you, Shinta. I always have. And, I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, dad. I needed to hear that."

Inuyasha sniffed a bit and wiped his eyes, as he pulled from his embrace,

"Now, I have a question to ask you."

"What is it?"

"I need to know the truth, Shinta. About the murders in this town."

"Murders?", Shinta questioned.

"Yea. Apparantly there has been a large amount of killings in Tokyo as of late. They're saying that the people killed look like they've been torn apart by wild dogs. Do you know anything about it?"

"Huh? Me? N-n-no... w-w-why do you ask?"

"It seems the killings started about four months ago and the killer or killers go all over town. Besides the wild dogs part, of course."

"No, dad. I don't know anything at all about it. You ... you don't think it's me, do you?"

"I had to ask, I'm sorry. It seemed like an awful coincidence. Your mother practically took my head off when I told her. You definately know nothing about it?"

"Honest, dad. Nothing."

Inuyasha stared into his son's golden eyes. He saw fear in them but, he detected no lies. He always felt he could read people through their eyes. He pulled his son into another embrace,

"I'm sorry for doubting you."

"It's ok, dad. I guess I would too ... if I was in your place."

Inuyasha released his son,

"Go play with your brother now, ok?"

"Ok.", Shinta jumped down out of the tree and walked away. He paused for a moment and thought,

'_Dad. I don't know if it's me. I really don't. What is going on with me_?'

Kagome came out of the house,

"Shinta. There you are. Where's your father?"

"Right here.", Inuyasha said, as he jumped out of the tree.

"Well, get in here. I need to tell you some great news."

Inuyasha and Shinta walked into the house,

"What is it?", Inuyasha asked.

"I have to tell you what my publisher said. He said my book will be number one in next week's best sellers lists. And, they're ordering more than 3 million copies more because of the demand! Isn't that great?", she gushed like a fangirl.

"WOW!", was Shinta's response.

Inuyasha hugged her,

"I knew you had it in you. Now, the rest of Japan knows what I've known all along."

"It's not just Japan, Inuyasha. It's worldwide! Isn't that amazing? And, Mr. Fujita said that he has someone interested in adapting it into a movie!"

"Mama! That's wonderful!", Shinta hugged his mom.

"First though, they're having a formal dinner in two weeks to celebrate my success. He also said there was a good chance of me winning this year's award for best fiction writing!"

"What do you mean by 'a formal dinner'?" asked Inuyasha.

"People wear certain clothes - men wear tuxedos and women wear evening gowns."

"I want to see dad in a tux!", said Shinta.

"A black tie and tails would go good with his silver hair.", her mother commented.

"You won't see your father in a tux.", Kagome stated, flatly.

"Why?", her mother asked as Inuyasha just looked at her.

"Why? Mama ... a formal dinner? Inuyasha? Be real. The ears? Not to mention his table manners are soooo crude."

Inuyasha said nothing. Her mother scolded her,

"Kagome. That's not nice."

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. You'd be bored there anyway. It's fancy dress, fancy food ... it's so not you."

"Sure. I understand. No problem.", he said, softly, "I don't want to embarass you."

He turned around and walked out of the house. Kagome sighed softly and bit her lip. She hated herself for what had transpired,

"You owe him an apology, Kagome.", her mother scolded again.

"I know. That was really stupid."

Kagome walked out and followed her husband's scent to their bedroom. Opening the door, she sat down on the bed. Inuyasha laid there, on his back, his hands behind his head,

"You know,", she started, "Come to think of it, I'm not interested in a formal dinner party. I'm not gonna go."

"Why? So you won't feel bad?", he remarked.

"Inuyasha. I'm sorry. Honestly, I was only thinking about you. You couldn't wear a cap there. I can't see you wearing good shoes. I just think you would feel so out of place. And, I don't wanna go without you."

She laid down next to him and wrapped her arm over his chest,

"Can you forgive me for saying the wrong things to you? It really was idiotic what came out of my mouth. I didn't think about how it would sound."

He sighed as her scent overtook him. He removed his left arm and laid it across her back,

"It's alright. I know I don't fit into your world."

"Give it time, Inuyasha. Someday you will."

"Yea right.", he scoffed, "When?"

"Oh, in about 500 years from now - after you grow into the modern world."

"You think I'll live that long?"

"You going somewhere? Unless you plan on offing yourself ... damn right I believe WE'LL live that long."

"You think there's another us out there? You know, a modern us?"

Kagome closed her eyes, "Please. The very thought makes my head spin. I don't want to think about any space-time continuum thingamabob ... dohicky crap."

"Thingamabob? Dohicky? What the fuck are you talking about, woman?"

"Precisely. WTF! That's what I'm talking about!"

"You're making absolutely no sense at all."

"You'll understand. Someday. I think.", she responded, cuddling into his chest.

"I don't think I even want to try."


	9. My Fair Inuyasha

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Nine

My Fair Inuyasha

Later that night, Kagome sat down on her couch and turned on the tv. She flipped around the channels until she came to an American station. It happened to be showing the film, "My Fair Lady". She laid the remote down and settled in, wrapping her arms around a pillow and scrunching her legs under her buttocks. During a commercial, she got up, poured herself a tall glass of iced green ginseng tea and topped it off with a sprig of mint. Searching through the cupboards she spied a box toasted wheat crackers and grabbed them before returning to her spot on the couch.

Ronin came over and laid down in front of the couch. She looked up and saw Shinta by the door,

"Where are you going at this time of night?", she questioned him.

"Oh. I didn't see you there, mama. I just want some fresh air. I don't want to open a window with the air conditioning on so, I'm just gonna go sit outside.", he replied back.

"Oh. Ok. No problem.", she waved him off and settled back into her movie.

She was extremely engrossed in the musical and didn't hear someone behind her. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she jumped,

"OH!"

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya.", Inuyasha said softly, "Whatcha watching?", he said, as he came around and sat beside her.

"Oh ... it's a musical called "My Fair Lady."

"What language are they speaking? It's not Japanese."

"HmHm. It's english. It's an American movie."

"Why are you watching it in english? Wouldn't it be easier to watch it in your native language?"

"Well, first, this is an American channel so it's only in english. I could turn on the closed captioning which would show the kanji for what they're saying on the screen but, as Japanese kids are taught english as a second language practically from the time they can talk, it's not a problem for me to understand them. And, lastly, I saw this movie dubbed in Japanese and, let me tell ya, it REALLY loses something in the translation."

"What's it about?"

"It's about this professor of languages who makes a bet to another language professor that he can teach any woman to sound like she was royalty. So, they meet this girl, Eliza Doolittle, who is a poor flower girl and she speaks very rough english - it's called cockney - anyway - the professor - Higgens - agrees to train her on the bet."

"Since I can't understand a word they're saying - does he do it?"

"Yup. And falls in love with her in the process."

"Hmmm. Interesting."

He sat and watched it with her for a while. Kagome turned on the closed captioning so he could try to understand what was going on,

"Is that the kind of clothes they would wear at the formal dinner?"

"Huh? Oh ... not the women, no. Those are Victoria era dresses ... the 1870's and such. But, what the men are wearing ... yea, that's close. Those are actually suits not tuxes"

"What's the difference?"

"Not much, really. Just styling. And color."

Inuyasha nodded as he watched the movie. He hadn't realized how absorbed he had gotten into it until the credits rolled,

"That wasn't bad ... from what I understood of it.", he told her.

"American movies are pretty good. Japanese movies - with how advanced we are technology-wise - our special effects leave something to be desired. Most of our movies are violence prone - very violent - but, also kinda silly. I like watching American movies. However, it can be tough watching American movies because, well, their culture is so radically different from ours so, some of their movies don't make sense to me because I don't understand certain nuances of their culture."

"I can see where that can be a problem.", he agreed.

"But, their horror movies are pretty good. I like certain horror movies ... in fact, my favorite movie is one called "Signs". It had these two actors in it ... Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix ... and it was about aliens from outer space landing here and it was so good! My skin was crawling after I watched that because I had goosebumps. Ooooooh ... I kept looking out my window many nights after that ... because ... it was so ... so ... plausible."

"I don't know if I would care to watch these so-called horror movies of yours. I think we face enough horrors back home, don'tcha think?"

Kagome laughed,

"Yea, I guess we do at that."

"Can we go to bed now? I was awful lonely up there. I hate being in bed alone.", he stood up and stretched.

"Ahhh ... this coming from a man who wouldn't dare sleep near me when we were traveling together searching for Naraku. My, what a change!", she laughed.

"That was before I knew ... how did Miroku phrase that? The pleasure of the flesh?", he grinned a coy grin and winked at her.

"Hentai dog.", she muttered.

"Only around you.", he pulled her into an embrace and nuzzled her neck, causing her to giggle,

"I know where this is going.", she commented, quietly.

He lifted her up bridal style,

"To the bedroom ... that's where this is going!", he said to her, climbing the stairs.

"Hungry?", she teased.

"Damn right! I need some filet of pussy!"

She slapped him,

"WHAT?", he shouted out, surprised by her slap,

"Is that all I am to you is a piece of meat?", she teased.

"Let's see ... ass, breast, pussy, tongue ... yup! Sounds like a full course meal to me. Gotta problem with that?"

"You are sooooo perverted!"

By this time, they were in the room and Inuyasha had laid her down on the sheets,

"And you are soooooo gonna be walking like you rode a horse fora few days tomorrow.", he cooed to her.

"Uh huh. You're bleeding bigger than a horse. I'll be surprised if I'm up and walking tomorrow.", she giggled, as he began planting kisses on her neck and removing her clothes,

"You've been comparing me to horses? What? I'm not enough for you?"

"Believe me, you're more than enough."

"HUH! Better be ... I don't think that tiny hole of yours could take much more. Even after 4 kids coming outta there I feel like I'm rippin' ya open."

"I guess that's the half-demon side of me. You heal faster than humans and so do I. So, I guess that goes for after giving birth, too.", she said softly, kissing his nose and cheeks.

He wrapped his arms around her and stared into her eyes,

"And I like it like that.", he whispered back.

His lips caught hers and they kissed passionately.

--

The next morning, Kagome stood at the stove making breakfast while the kids sat down at the table. Inuyasha came waltzing in, whistling, and grabbed Kagome around the waist, rubbing his crotch into hers,

"Morning.", he whispered into her ear before licking and suckling on it.

"You're in a good mood this morning, dad.", Kai commented.

"Ahhh, yup. Your mother was REAL good to me last night. You can bet I'm happy."

"Ugghh. BMI, dad, BMI.", Kai winced.

"Huh?", Inuyasha looked at him, "What the hell is 'BMI'?"

"Bad Mental Image.", Kagome informed him, "He's a typical kid. He can't stand the thought of the possibility of his parents doing the deed."

"And just how the fuck do you think you came to be in this world, kid?"

"Oh, Inuyasha ... it's fine that we did it to have him and the other three but, now we aren't supposed to be doing it anymore.", Kagome advised him, "And, uh, watch your language.", she pointed to Kanta, who was staring straight at his dad,

"FUCK?", Kanta repeated, "Whas dat?"

"Nothing that you need to repeat, Kanta.", his mother scolded him.

The Kanta distraction took Inuyasha's mind off his wife's body and onto food. Sitting down, he asked Kagome,

"I was thinking about that movie last night."

"Yea. What about it?", she looked at him.

"Do you ... you know ... think ... well ... do you think you could teach me to be ... uhm .. proper?"

Kagome stared at him,

"You really want to try that?"

Inuyasha looked at his plate, moving food around with his chopsticks,

"I don't want to be an embarrassment to you, Kagome, in this era.", he said, softly.

"Inuyasha. I told you not to think that. You're not an embarrassment to me."

"You always want me to stay around the house ... or, at least, you did at one time."

"That was different, Inuyasha. I was afraid of people finding out you were a demon. I'm still afraid of that ... even with the kids. I can only hope that Shinta keeps his hat on when he's outside ..."

"I do.", Shinta jumped in quickly.

"Good.", his mother acknowledged, "But, that's because I'm afraid of what people may do to you. If people knew you existed they'd want to open you up and do experiments on you ... humans are still very afraid of things they don't comprehend. To this era, demons are fantasies, myths. In other religions, demons are vilified. I only want you to be safe."

"Could you come up with a spell that could alter my appearance?", Inuyasha asked, hopeful.

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno, make me look human ... like on the nights of the new moon."

"Hmmm. That is possible. I could work on it. But, I don't think I could have you and the spell ready in two weeks."

"That's fine. I want you to go to the dinner without me."

"I can't ...", she protested.

"Kagome, they're honoring you. It wouldn't be right if the guest of honor didn't show up now would it?"

She sighed,

"No. I guess not."

"Good. Then it's settled. You'll go to the dinner in two weeks. In the meantime, you can prepare a spell and help me learn new things. That way, at least, I'll be able to go with you another time. And, with the spell, the kids and I can roam your village without those annoying hats."

"That's a great idea, dad!", said Izayoi, happily.

Kagome smiled,

"Sounds like a done deal!"

--

The afternoon found Kagome, her mother and Inuyasha in the main house. Kagome was explaining about posture to Inuyasha,

"You slump. Not much, but, enough."

"What does that mean?", he asked.

"Look in the mirror. See how your shoulders are rounded forward?"

"Yea ... that's a problem?"

"It can be. Now, I don't see you slump all the time but, we need to correct it. Now here,", she took a small book off a shelf, "Place this on your head."

Inuyasha looked at her quizzically,

"Why?"

"Stop asking questions and do what I say. You're the one that wanted to learn to be more refined, right?"

"Yea. But, I was just wondering what good that will do.", he responded.

"Valid question, Kagome.", her mother said from her spot on the couch.

"Ok. You place the book on your head and you have to keep your head straight, shoulders back and tummy tucked in and walk with it balanced on your head. The book is to remind you to stay in that position because, if it falls, then you came out of the position.", she explained.

Inuyasha placed the book on his head. It fell off immediately,

"WHAT THE...?", he cried out.

"Here. Let me balance it for you.", Kagome offered.

She placed the book on his head,

"Now, pretend you have a string in the middle of your head and that it's pulling you straight up. Good. Look straight ahead. Good. Pull your shoulders back and your tummy in. Very good.", she removed her hands from the book and it remained balanced,

"Great.", she complimented him.

"That's not too hard.", he grinned.

"Now walk across the room.", she told him.

"Say what?", his face registered disbelief, "You want me to walk across the room with THIS balanced on my HEAD? Are you nuts?"

"Well, you have the posture. Now you have to learn how to walk with that posture. Take it slow, at first.", Kagome told him.

"Yea. Right. Sure. Whatever you say.", he cracked.

"Just do it.", she gently scolded him.

He sighed and started walking very slowly. It didn't take long for the book to drop. Her mother clapped,

"Good start, Inuyasha-kun.", she congratulated him.

"But, I didn't get very far.", he complained.

"A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step", she told him.

"It was a good try, Inuyasha. And, practice makes perfect. I believe in you. I know you can do it. Try it again.", Kagome encouraged him.

"Ok.", he agreed, rebalancing the book on his head.

As soon as he felt comfortable, he started walking. He got halfway across the room before the book fell again,

"EXCELLENT!", Kagome and her mom cheered.

Inuyasha tried again and got all the way across the room,

"I did it!", he exclaimed with joy as Kagome and her mother clapped,

"Now try going across the room and then turn around and go back.", Kagome advised him.

Inuyasha placed the book on his head and walked back across. He successfuly turned and returned to where he started. He spent the afternoon practicing until he successfully was able to walk normally and keep the book balanced,

"That wasn't that hard.", he told Kagome proudly.

"Uh Uh Uh ... you're not done.", she snickered.

"Whaddya mean?", he asked.

She pulled out another book,

"Now, do what you did with two books.", she told him.

"Two?", his eye twitched nervously.

"Yup. Keep doing until you can balance four books and walk back and forth at your normal pace."

"I need to do that?", he asked.

"Yes. Practice makes perfect. Remember that."

Inuyasha attempted the feat but, failed miserably every time. He finally called it quits for the day when Kagome's grandfather walked in making jokes about proper demons,

"Grandpa, leave him alone.", Kagome chastized the old man, "Put it away, Inuyasha. You did good for today."

The next day, Inuyasha was determined to master what Kagome had been teaching him and spent the entire day practicing. Armed with his human determination, he mastered four books on his head and walking at a normal pace by late afternnon. By then, his confidence was soaring and he decided to show off for Kagome and the pups,

"Hey guys, lookit what I can do!", he shouted to them like a little kid.

He walked into his living room with four heavy books perched on his head. He then began showing off by doing flips and catching the falling books on his head when he landed back on his feet. He stood on his hands, keeping the books are his head, and walked all over the room.

The pups laughed, clapped and cheered at their father's antics. Kagome just stood there, partially in shock, partially in awe at Inuyasha's achievements. She also shook her head and thought to herself,

'_Always the showoff_.'

Inuyasha's tricks were getting fancier, harder and more dangerous. She tried to stop him,

"Uh ... Inuyasha?"

His antics continued,

"Inuyasha, I really think you should ..."

He wasn't listening.

"You're gonna break some ..."

**CRASH!**

Inuyasha fell flat on the floor and four huge books went flying. Kagome's face turned bright red and her fists were clenched at her sides,

"INUYASHA! SIT BOY!"

Inuyasha had just stood up when he faceplanted into the floor. When the spell wore off, he faced her,

"What was that for? Geez, didn't ya think I was hurt enough?"

"Uhhh, mama?", came Kai's nervous voice.

"Huh?", his mother looked at him and saw why he was nervous, "MY VASE! INUYASHA YOU BROKE MY VASE!"

Inuyasha rubbed his head,

"So what? It's old ain't it?"

She turned and stared at him,

"Yea. You're right. It's old. IT'S FROM THE FUCKING CHINESE MING DYNASTY DAMMIT!", she screamed at him before stomping upstairs.

The pups could only stare at each other in disbelief when their father commented,

"Geez, what's the big deal. It's just a vase."

Shinta came over to his dad,

"Uh, dad, we know you don't place value on material things but, uhmm, mama paid a LOT of money for that vase at an auction. She told me she always dreamed of a Ming Dynasty vase and that they're rare."

Inuyasha looked at his son and then back at the vase fragments,

"Can it be fixed?", he asked.

"Uh, quite simply, no.", Shinta responded.

"Shinta, you know this village. Do you know any where that I can get another vase?"

Shinta patted his dad on the back,

"Leave it to me and grandma. We got your back."

Inuyasha looked up the steps,

"I better go and try to save my skin.", he said, as he headed up the stairs.

--

The next morning found Kagome fixing breakfast for the troops when Inuyasha came downstairs. He slinked quietly into the kitchen and sat down - a complete departure from yesterday's mood,

"Still in the doghouse, dad?", Shinta whispered to him.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome's back and nodded glumly,

"Your mother can hold a grudge.", he whispered back.

"HMPH!", came Kagome's reply, "I heard that Inuyasha.", she turned around and placed the food on the table, "And for that, you can cook your own breakfast."

"WHAT? The food's already here and cooked. Why should I ...", Inuyasha complained.

"You're not allowed to have any of this. It's for the pups.", she stated, firmly.

Inuyasha decided he was fed up with her attitude,

"Will you stop it with the hissy fit, wench. It's a goddamn vase. Get over it and stop acting like a 3 year old ... no, forget that - Kanta behaves better than you. And, I will eat what I damn well feel like eating - YOU GOT THAT?"

"Pulling rank, are you?", Kagome hissed.

"DAMN RIGHT, WOMAN! I'M THE DAMN ALPHA HERE AND YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!", he yelled at her.

"Fine.", she answered curtly, "I'll just go out and leave you be."

"Where ya going?", he asked her, his voice sounding impatient.

"Out.", she answered back, crisply.

"DUH! Where exactly?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I have to tell the alpha male everything, don't I?", she snapped.

"Kagome, stop it. I'm just concerned for your well being. Now, where ya going?"

"You don't have to worry about me. I can take care myself.", she walked out of the kitchen.

"Stupid wench!", he muttered, then leaned over his chair and peered around the doorway, "Can ya tell when to expect you back at least?"

"Sometime tonight. Goodbye, Inuyasha.", the door slammed shut.

"Bitch.", he muttered again, "Well, she's gone. Shinta, how are we going to go about finding another Chinese vase?"

"There's an antique dealer over in the Akasaka district ..."

"And, how, pray tell, do you know this information? May I ask?", Inuyasha looked at his son increduously.

Shinta gave his dad a "you've got to be kidding me" look, "Uh, it's the guy that hooked mom up with auction house that got her the first vase. Besides the fact that grandma is very much into antiques and she has started buying from him."

Inuyasha stared at his son,

"WHAT?", Shinta looked at him in surprise, "Why the look?"

"How old are you again?"

"14. Why?"

Inuyasha shook his head,

"I wasn't that smart at 14."

"You learned and then taught me.", Shinta stated proudly.

"And you also know how to kiss ass. Good. Good. But, you didn't learn that from me."

"Nope. Mom."

"Figures. Let's go. Kai - you're in charge."

"Yes sir!", Kai answered.

--

Kagome called up her friends on her cell phone,

"Hey, Eri. How are you? Great. Listen, I'm in town, want to get together? Meet at Ayumi's apartment? Sure thing. No, I'm alone. Why is that a good thing? Whatever. Ok, see you there. Bye."

--

Inuyasha and Shinta walked into the antiques store. An old, wrinkled gray-haired man sat behind a counter,

"He looks like he belongs with this stuff.", Inuyasha whispered to Shinta.

Shinta elbowed him, "DAD!"

"Ahh, young Shinta, how are you my boy?"

"I'm good, Arashi-san. I'd like you to meet my father, Inuyasha."

"Kunichiwa, Inuyasha-san. Ahhh, you cannot deny your boy, no siree no.", the old man greeted him.

Inuyasha nodded his head,

"Arashi-san. No, I certainly cannot.", he agreed.

"What can I do for you gentlemen today, hmmm?"

"Well, we were wondering if you knew of any Chinese Ming Dynasty vases. My mom's vase was the victim of a tragic accident ...", Shinta started to explain.

"Oh no ... you do not say ... my ... too bad. Tsk. Tsk. Such a rare piece it was."

"I know.", agreed Shinta, "So, can you help us out?"

"I may be able to, yes. Take a seat over there and allow me to make a few phone calls."

Inuyasha and Shinta sat down on a wooden bench and waited for the old man.

--

Kagome knocked on the door. Ayumi answered,

"Kagome! I'm so glad to see you!", she hugged her friend.

"Ayumi. I've missed you.", Kagome hugged her friend back.

"Come on in.", her friend invited.

Kagome walked into the tiny apartment. She couldn't help but think,

'_My hut is bigger than this_.'

"Have a seat.", said Eri.

"Hi!", said Yuka.

Kagome sat down,

"So, what's up you guys?"

"YUKA'S GETTING MARRIED!", Eri gushed out, as Yuka blushed.

"No way! Really, Yuka?", Kagome exclaimed.

"Yea, well, you know ...", Yuka hemmed and hawed.

"Well, do I know him?", Kagome asked.

"It's Taku Watanabe. He used to sit across from me in World History in High School."

"I remember him. He's cute.", Kagome winked.

"Well, Kagome, I want you to be a bridesmaid. Eri will be my maid of honor and Ayumi is another bridesmaid.", Yuka said.

"Bridesmaid? You're having a Western wedding, Yuka?", asked Kagome.

"Yea. I don't want all that formal Japanese stuff. Ughh ... I couldn't imagine wearing that headdress.", Yuka blanched.

Kagome giggled, "Well, I accept."

"Maybe you can join us for some of the preparations, if you have the time, that is.", said Eri.

"Yea, you being a world famous author now.", agreed Ayumi.

"Oh, stop it, you guys. I always have time for you.", Kagome exclaimed.

"Can you come with us tomorrow, Kagome?", asked Yuka.

"What are you doing tomorrow?", Kagome queried.

"Picking out dresses, of course.", said Eri.

"Plus, maybe you can join us. We take a couple dancing classes to keep in shape.", Yuka told her.

"Dancing classes? What sort of dancing classes?", Kagome asked.

"You'll see. It's fun. Can you join us?", asked Ayumi.

"Sure. I don't see why not.", agreed Kagome.

"Good.", said Yuka, "Oh, and bring high heels with you."

"Why?", Kagome's eye twitched.

Ayumi winked, "You'll see."

Kagome groaned, "I hate surprises."

--

The old man came out from the back of the store,

"You are in much luck, Shinta-chan. My good friend just recently came into possession of a beautiful Ming Dynasty vase. He is willing to part with it but, I'm afraid it will cost you."

"How much?", asked Inuyasha.

"Three hundred and seventy five million yen."

Inuyasha's grew wide,

"WHAT?", his eye twitched angrily.

He didnt have a complete grasp of modern currency but, he knew that had to be alot.

"Dad! Stay calm. We owe it to mom to replace her vase, remember?", said Shinta.

"Damn vase better be fucking covered in gold and silver for that price.", his father muttered under his breath.

Shinta looked at the old man,

"We'll take it. Can it be delivered?"

"Yes. When do you want it delivered, my son?"

"As soon as you possibly can. Tonight if at all possible."

"That will cost you more, I'm afraid."

"Fine. Just talk to the accountant for the Higurashi shrine. He'll handle it."

The old man nodded,

"I will do that. Good day, Shinta-chan."

"Good day, Arashi-san."

Shinta and his dad left the old building and took to the rooftops. Inuyasha couldn't help but be impressed by how grownup his son had become. Arriving back home, they found that Kagome's mother had fed the pups so, Shinta and Inuyasha heated up the leftovers. By early evening, a group of people arrived to deliver the vase.

Inuyasha stared at the vase that was three times bigger than her original vase. He had to admit it was beautiful but, he also felt a bit strange looking at it. He didn't have a chance to ponder long about it as the door opened and Kagome walked in,

"Who was those people I just saw leaving?", she asked to no one in particular.

Inuyasha didn't answer but, just grabbed her hands and took her to the living room. Her eyes settled immediately on the vase,

"Oh my goodness! It's beautiful!", she walked over and examined the vase, "Inuyasha.", her eyes filled with tears and she turned around to her husband, "I'm so sorry for being angry at you.", she said, as she hugged him.

"I'm glad my gift made it up to you.", he whispered.

She hugged him tighter,

"It's not the vase. I wasn't mad anymore. But, I love the vase. It's the most beautiful vase I've ever seen."

"Not as beautiful as you.", he whispered.

She kissed him,

"Flattery will get you everywhere, mister.", she cooed.

He picked her up bridal style and started up the steps. Out of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Shinta, who was standing there with a huge grin and a thumbs up sign,

'_You're really something, Shinta_.', Inuyasha thought, as he climbed the stairs.

Shinta laughed a bit as he headed into the living room. He felt his stomach grow queasy and his head began to pound. He looked over at the vase and saw that it was glowing,

'_WHAT THE HELL_?', he thought.

--

A/N: 375,000,000 yen is equal to about 3.6 million dollars in US Dollars. I checked prices for Chinese Ming Dynasty vases and the rarer ones are definately that expensive. Cya soon!


	10. Inuyasha's Debut

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Ten

Inuyasha's Debut

The first rays of dawn peeked through the curtains, illuminating the silvery-blue satin comforter than lay bunched at the bottom. Kagome was snuggled into Inuyasha's arms, her face hidden by his long mane. The ever lightening room caused her to begin to stir. Inuyasha, already awake, began placing soft, feathery kisses on her face,

"Mmmmm. Morning.", she said, sleepily.

"Morning.", he whispered.

She yawned, "What time is it?"

He nuzzled her, "Who cares."

"I do. I promised Yuka and the girls I'd meet them today to try on bridesmaids dresses.", her voice was still barely awake.

"Bride ... what? You getting married to someone besides me?"

"No, silly. Yuka's getting married. She's having a Western style wedding and she wants me to be one of her attendants. It's called a bridesmaid."

He relaxed and nuzzled deep into her neck,

"It's still really early. Don't leave me yet.", his kisses began getting more passionate.

"Didn't you get enough last night? You came like, a gazillion times.", she smiled up at him.

"Mmmm. I love it when you're feeling guilty. You let me do whatever I want to you. Talk about satisfaction.", he grinned back.

"What? I always let you do whatever you want to me ... especially since you're so good about making sure that I'm taken care of."

"Not like the nights when you feel you have to make something up to me. Making love to you after a fight makes arguing that much more pleasurable.", he teased.

"Is that why we fight all the time? Gee, thanks for letting me in on your little secret.", she teased back.

He responded by capturing her lips into a fiery kiss and rolling her onto her back.

--

Kai walked downstairs. As his eyes fully focused, he stared at the foyer,

"Why is that there?", he wondered, as he stared at the Chinese vase.

Izayoi came down behind him,

"Move, butthead!", she balked, "I'm hungry. Is mama or daddy up yet? Why is the vase in the foyer? Wasn't it in the living room last night?"

"That's what I was wondering. I dunno, maybe mom decided she liked it better there. And, no, they're still doing the nasty last I smelled.", he made the offhanded comment as he exited the stairs and headed into the kitchen.

Izayoi took a sniff,

"Oh, gross!", she wrinkled her nose at the smell.

--

Kagome finished getting dressed and leaned over her sleepy husband,

"I'll see you later.", she whispered in his ear.

"Yea. Yea. Whatever. I ain't getting up this early. I'm tired.", he mumbled.

"So much for a half-demon's energy.", she remarked, sarcastically.

"If you're not gonna stay with me any longer then leave and, stop torturing me.", he grumbled again.

"Sure thing.", she said, closing the door behind her.

Reaching the bottom of the steps, she saw the vase in the foyer,

"What the?", she spoke, softly.

Shaking her head and figuring that Inuyasha had moved it, for whatever reason, she picked up the heavy item and moved it back to its original location before heading out the door.

--

Kai walked in from the rear door and into the living room. He saw the vase beack where it had been last night. He shook his head,

'_I wish they'd make up their minds_.', he thought.

He looked up the stairs. His father was slowly walking down dressed in just a pair of gray sweatpants,

"Where's mama?", he asked his father.

"Hmm? Oh, out with her friends. Have you seen Shinta?"

"No. Why?"

"Nothing. No reason."

Kai shrugged and plopped on the couch to see what was on tv,

"Why don't you go outside and play on the jungle gymie thingy that your grandmother bought for you guys.", his father told him.

"Da -AAA -d ...", he whined, "I'm outside all the time in our world. I like being able to sit and watch tv or lay video games. Geez, lay off, will ya?"

Inuyasha screwed up his face, and in a sing-songy voice mimicked his son,

"..'_I'm outside all the time in our world_' ...sheesh ... whatever."

He waved his hand off as he walked out.

--

Kagome joined up with her girlfriends. They ate a nice leisurely breakfast before heading out to the dress shop that Yuka had chosen to supply the dresses. Walking in, Kagome's eyes were drawn to a soft, powder blue gown with crystals on the bodice and a long, flowing skirt. She stopped and examined it,

"Uhh, Kagome. I don't think that's a gown for a wedding.", Eri said to her.

"I also have a formal dinner coming up, Eri, and I don't have a dress for that.", Kagome reminded her.

"Oh, yea. I forgot.", Eri replied.

"The lady has fine tastes.", said a young man, "That is a Vera Wang original. Absolutely beautiful work, don't you agree?"

"Yes, it is very lovely.", Kagome agreed with him.

"Would you care to try it on?", he asked her.

"Uhh, why yes, I would, thank you.", she said to him, then saw Yuka glaring at her, "Oh, and take care of my friends. You guys find a dress you love. I'm sure I'll like it too."

"Hmph! Ok, Kagome.", said Yuka, as she turned away and mumbled.

Kagome's smile turned into a frown. She knew her friends didn't know she was now a half-demon and that she could hear even the slightest whisper. Still, hearing her best friend say she was stuck up made her heart sink.

"Come, my dear. The dressing room is this way.", the young man said to her, "Oh, and my name is Pierre. If there is anything I can do to help you out ..."

"Pierre. Isn't that French?", she asked.

"Yes, yes it is. But, my father, he was a French Ambassador and we have lived in Tokyo since I was 3. After his time as an ambassador was up, we chose to stay here."

"Oh. How interesting.", Kagome mused, as they stopped at the dressing room,

"Here you are, my lady.", Pierre opened the door.

"Thank you.", Kagome nodded and walked in.

She stripped down to her panties and bra and stepped into the flowing silk and organza dress. The dress accented her figure perfectly. It looked like it had been created just for her,

"Oh my. It is gorgeous.", she said, quietly.

Her hands flowed over the bodice and skirt, her eyes mesmorized by the material. Her hand hit something. She picked it up. It was the price tag. She gasped,

"26,531,529 YEN? HOLY ..."

"Is there a problem, my lady?", Pierre called in.

Kagome regained her posture,

"No. Nothing, Pierre."

She stared at the tag again as her heart raced,

"What do I do? I need to look great for the dinner but, a quarter million dollars great?"

She quickly redressed in her other clothes and walked out,

"What do you think, my lady?", Pierre asked.

"Oh, Pierre, it is like it was made for me. But, I can't reason paying this much for a dress I'll only wear once."

Pierre was about to try to dissuade her when she shoved the dress back in his hands and went off to her friends. She found them at the back of the store,

"So, any luck?", she asked.

"What about your dress, Kagome?", Eri asked her.

Kagome waved her hand, "Naah. Too much for my tastes. What about for the wedding?"

Yuka pulled out three dresses,

"I like these three. Eri prefers the one that is green and Ayumi prefers the one that is blue."

"Which do you prefer, Yuka? It is your wedding, after all.", said Kagome.

"I like the other one. The yellow one. I like the sleeves and the skirt. But, not the color.", said Yuka.

"What are your colors?", Kagome asked.

"Shades of blue.", she mused.

"Well, I like the yellow one. Why don't we try all three on and see which one looks the best on us?", suggested Kagome.

"Great idea.", agreed Ayumi.

The girls started trying on the various dresses. They eventually agreed that, indeed, the yellow dress's styling was the best. The saleslady took their measurements and ordered the dresses in the various shades of blue that Yuka desired. As they proceeded to check out, Pierre assisted them. He rang up the order and told Yuka the total,

"Oh no.", Yuka moaned.

"What is it?", the other three chorused.

"I was so caught up in the style of dress that I didn't pay attention to the prices. This blows my budget. I'm gonna have to cancel it.", she hung her head.

Kagome looked at her friend then at Pierre,

"I'll pay for it.", she said.

Pierre looked at her. This was the woman who didn't want to spend all that money on the dress for one night,

"Pierre, can I create an account with you?"

"Account? No no. It must be paid right now."

"I don't go around carrying that much money on me. I was hoping you could bill it to the Higurashi shrine ..."

Pierre stopped her,

"You said ... Higurashi?"

"Yes. Could you bill it to our accountant?"

Pierre seemed caught off guard and then he recovered,

"My lady, yes. Here, just fill out this form. We will handle the rest."

Kagome smiled and thanked him. She filled out the form and then she ushered the girls out. Yuka just stared at her,

"Gee, Kagome. Thank you. I never expected you to pay for it. I'll pay you back, I promise."

"Don't worry about it. Think of it as my gift to you, ok?", she smiled.

Yuka hugged her,

"Thank you."

_'So maybe I'm not so stuck up, am I_?', Kagome thought.

--

After lunch, Yuka took the girls to a small shop. Eri and Ayumi had been with her before but, this was Kagome's first time,

"What is this place?", Kagome asked.

Walking in, she was greeted by a dance floor. Some areas of the floor had poles going from floor to ceiling,

"You brought your high heels, right?", teased Eri.

"Yea, but ..."

"This is where we exercise.", gushed Ayumi, "It's the latest thing."

"What is?", Kagome eyed her warily.

"Pole dancing.", said Yuka.

"WHAT?", Kagome looked at her friends in disbelief.

"Yea, like strippers. Only we keep our clothes on.", giggled Ayumi.

A young, shapely woman greeted them,

"Ahh, Yuka, Eri, Ayumi, welcome. Who is your friend?"

"Tara, this is Kagome. She's one of my bridesmaids.", Yuka introduced them.

"Welcome, Kagome. Come on in, let's have our class. The others are ready."

Kagome followed her friends into another room where 6 women were waiting, all dressed in leotards and high heels,

"Go and change, girls.", Tara told them.

"Uh, but, I don't have leotards.", Kagome said.

"Don't worry.", whispered Eri, "I got you covered. I brought you a set. I didn't want to tell you that part in case you got suspicious."

"Great.", Kagome moaned.

After getting dressed, they headed out to the floor. Tara started teaching them how to work the pole. Kagome felt nervous at first but, then began to imagine she was dancing for Inuyasha,

'_He would love having me give him a private dancing show_.', she thought, remembering just how horny her dog-demon husband really was.

The fantasy of imagining Inuyasha watching her caused Kagome to loosen up. Tuning in to her hidden sex kitten, she found herself devouring the pole as Tara taught. The other girls, and especially her friends, watched her in amazement,

"Kagome?", Eri brought her out of her fantasy.

"Huh?", Kagome snapped back to reality.

"Have you danced before, Kagome?", Tara asked.

"Huh? No ... no. This is my first time."

"You cannot tell.", Tara said, as the others agreed.

Kagome blushed, "I'm sorry. I have a very ... um ... shall we say ... sex hungry husband? Well, he likes it when I become seductive. I guess it isn't that hard to transfer that into dancing."

Tara called the ladies to attention,

"Let's continue."

The other women seemed more eager to dance once they saw Kagome's seductive swing. Tara eventually started to teach them to shimmy up and down the pole. Some of the girls lacked the upper body strength to hold themselves high up on the pole but, half-demon Kagome had no problems,

"Wow, Kagome, you're strong.", said Ayumi.

Kagome blushed again,

"I work out.", she lied.

Well, maybe not lied,

'_Hauling firewood and pails of water can strengthen you. Plus, I am half-demon_.', she thought.

After the class was over, Kagome learned that her friends attended another class at the same building but, taught by a different instructer. As the dance teacher came out, Kagome was fascinated,

"Belly dancing?"

"Yup." said Yuka, "My favorite."

Kagome found herself truly getting into the Middle Eastern dance. After the class was over, she vowed that she would comtinue attending the classes with her friends when she could.

--

The next week and a half found Kagome very busy. She attended the pole dancing and belly dancing lessons daily while also teaching Inuyasha the finer points of life. She also found a spell to use in a book given to her by the wizard people. She hurriedly worked to perfect the spell for the formal dinner.

In her haste, any issues with her son, Shinta, and the vase were all but forgotten, To her, at least. When Kagome wasn't around, Inuyasha spent his time trying to find out what was up with Shinta. He made numerous appearances at the home but, Inuyasha could tell, he wasn't the same kid.

The old man kept Inuyasha informed of the record number of murders still happening in the Japanese capitol and around the country. Inuyasha kept a keen nose on Shinta but, he never could pick up any traces of blood ... human or otherwise. Parts of him wanted to go to the places of these murders but, they were so plentiful, that he knew it would be a losing battle. The array of different smells in the city confused his sensitive nose already. He dreaded the thought of trying to piece this together. He tried to relax, remembering that Shinta had given him his word that he wasn't involved. If he couldn't trust his own son ...?

And then there was the vase. Inuyasha felt his fur stand up on end around the vase. Sometimes, he could feel his demon blood start to boil. He couldn't understand. Tessaiga was on his hip. Why was his demon trying to come out?

Not to mention the eerie times when the vase ended up in different rooms. Everybody denied moving it and Inuyasha wondered if it was moving itself.

--

The night before the formal dinner, Kagome arrived home to the shrine. Her mother greeted her,

"Dear, there's a gentleman here to see you. He says his name is Pierre."

"Pierre? Why is he here?", she wondered.

Pierre greeted her,

"Ahh. my lady, nice to see you again.", he kissed her hand.

"Hello, Pierre. How can I help you?", Kagome asked.

"It is not how you can help me but how I can assist you."

"Oh?"

He pulled out the dress. Her mother gasped,

"It's beautiful, Kagome."

"Do you have a dress to the dinner your mother was so graciously telling me about?"

"No. I was going to buy one tomorrow morning.", Kagome informed him.

"Well, Ms. Wang herself would like you to wear this.", he presented her with the dress.

"Wang?", her mother queried, "As in Vera Wang?"

"Yes, my lady.", Pierre told her, "This is a prize of Ms. Wang's. It is an original. 2000 diamonds, rubies and sapphires adorn the bodice. She says it would be an honor if your daughter wears this dress."

Kagome stared. She didn't know what to say. Pierre placed it back in its protective covering,

"Also, Ms. Wang spoke with the people at Cartier. They have some earrings for you to wear."

"Pierre, this is all too much.", Kagome said, her voice in awe.

"It's perfect Kagome. You'll look like a queen in that dress.", her mother gushed.

"I will leave it here. Tomorrow morning at 9 our tailors will be here to finish any last things on the dress. Your shoes and jewels will arrive tomorrow as well.", Pierre informed her.

Kagome felt the tears fall,

"Thank you so much, Pierre."

"You are very welcome. We will return on Sunday to pick it up along with the jewels. Sayonara, my lady."

He bowed and left her there, stunned, as her mother showed him out. Her mother returned,

"Oh, Kagome. That dress was made for you.", she gushed again.

Kagome smiled,

"I can't wait for Inuyasha to see me in it."

--

Souta assisted Inuyasha into his tuxedo. It didn't take long for Inuyasha to bitch about how constricting it was. He especially hated the shoes. His biggest concern, however, was his demonic appearance,

"When is your mother gonna finish that spell?", he grumbled.

Shinta laid sprawled on his bed. He shrugged,

"Dunno."

Inuyasha looked at his son. His eyes seemed to be somewhere else and, there was no doubt, his mind definately wasn't in the room.

Kagome entered. Inuyasha stared. Her hair was piled into a sexy bun with small tendrils of hair sticking out. She had a small japanese fan clip adorning the top of the bun. Her face was immaculate. Perfect. The shade around her eyes made her brown irises jump out. Of course, his favorite part was her sexy lingerie that adorned her perfect figure,

"Can we skip the dinner and just get to dessert?" he asked, his voice full of lust.

She slapped him playfully,

"Inuyasha."

"I'm serious.", he defended himself.

"After all we've been working on? Here, I have your magic spell."

She handed him a ring,

"What's this?"

"The spell is contained in the ring. As long as you wear the ring, your demonic features will be covered."

Kagome slipped the ring on his ring finger on his left hand. Instantly, Inuyasha's features changed from his demonic to his human features,

"Wow. Amazing.", said Kai from the doorway, "You look like it's the night of the new moon, dad."

"Phew. It works.", sighed Kagome.

"You didn't know if it would work?"

"Well, I've never done a spell like this before and, I also added an extra feature. Normally, we wouldn't notice a change. But, I wanted to be sure it worked so I added a part of another spell into it.", she explained.

Inuyasha just stared at the ring,

"Why on this hand? Does it matter?"

"No. But, in my world married couples exchange rings to show the world of their commitment to each other. So, I bought a pair of wedding rings. See?"

She showed him her left hand and the matching woman's ring she wore. He smiled. The idea of Kagome and him wearing rings to symbolize their feelings for each other pleased him,

"I need to get dressed. I'll see ya downstairs.", she rushed out.

Inuyasha felt eyes on him. He turned to see Shinta grinning at him. For the first time in two weeks, Shinta was acting like his old self. Inuyasha threw up his hands,

"What?", he asked his son.

Shinta just shook his head.

--

Kagome descended the stairs. Inuyasha, hearing her footsteps, looked up. What he saw took his breath away,

"Wow!", commented Shinta.

"Sis, you're gorgeous!", said Souta.

"Mommy butiful.", cooed Kanta.

Izayoi, Shiori and Kai oooh'ed and aaah'ed over their mother.

Kagome's mother clasped her hands together in joy as her grandfather cried,

"My beautiful granddaughter!"

Reaching the landing, Inuyasha reached out and pulled her into his arms,

"You look absolutely incredible, Kagome.", he whispered, hugging her gently.

Pictures were snapped until the limo driver arrived. As the couple left, the family shouted out

"Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!"

The ride to the dinner should have given Kagome an idea of how the evening was going to go. If she realized, she never let on. Inuyasha had never ridden in a car before and a limo was full of fascinating toys. Inuyasha marveled at how the windows went up and down and up and down and up and down and ...

"Will you stop that Inuyasha?", she chided gently.

Next was the moonroof. Once he realized the "ceiling" opened and he could stand up and look around there was no stopping him,

"Kagome, you gotta see this!", he called to her excitedly.

She stood up and beside him as the limo cruised the streets. She had to admit, this was fun. Once Inuyasha was bored with that (and it didn't take long), he was back inside playing with all the gadgets. He soon found the bar,

"Look, they already put the waters in the bottles here for us. That's great. If we're thirsty we don't have to stop at a stream or find one of those sink things to get water."

He picked up a bottle of clear liquid. Kagome was looking out the window and didn't see Inuyasha open the small bottle and drink,

"YEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!! THAT WATER FUCKING BURNS!!"

He cried out, holding his throat. Kagome picked up the bottle and started laughing as she read the label that said 'Smirnoff',

"It's vodka!", she said between laughs.

"What ka?"

"Vodka. It's an alcohol. Like sake only it's from another country."

He gagged and coughed,

"I wondered why it was in a tiny bottle. I thought it was water or sake. Who would drink that shit?"

She smiled,

"Many, many people. It's actually good in a mixed drink."

He shook his head as he tried to rid himself of the burn. She handed him a bottle of water,

"Here, drink this."

He gratefully took the bottle and drank it down. His throat was still complaining when they arrived at the location of the dinner.

--

Kagome introduced her husband to everyone and anyone that came up to her. They all knew her (being the guest of honor) but, she knew very few of them. Inuyasha received many strange looks when she mentioned his name but, other than that, it seemed to go fine. Except when someone asked for his family name,

"I don't have one.", he replied.

This simply caused a ripple of laughter,

"Everyone has a surname.", said one man nearby.

"Taisho", Kagome spoke up, "But, he just goes by his first name."

"General? His last name is General?", queried another man.

"Yes.", said Kagome, "His ancestor way back when was a great samurai general. They bestowed the name upon his clan in honor of his accomplishments."

The explanation not only satisfied the crowds curiosity but, also impressed more than a few.

The couple walked around and sampled appetizers. Seeing a bowl of black round things, Inuyasha walked over to it and sniffed,

"It's some kind of eggs.", he realized.

Kagome was next to him,

"Yes. Sturgeon eggs from Russia - the same country where that vodka came from.", she informed him.

"Is it hot too?", he asked her.

"No. I think it's just salty ... from the sea. It's a delicacy. Very expensive. It's called Beluga caviar."

She took a cracker and spread some caviar on it and took a bite,

"Hmmm. Not bad.", she said.

Inuyasha tried some,

"Hey, it is good.", he said, as he dug in for some more.

"Inuyasha!", Kagome hissed, "Not so much!"

She managed to get Inuyasha away from the table with the caviar. They went to other appetizers. Inuyasha wondered why they just didn't call the food what is was,

"Why pate? Why not just goose liver?", he asked.

"Because if people truly knew what it was they probably wouldn't eat it.", she joked.

Kagome decided to treat Inuyasha. She went to the bar and ordered two screwdrivers. She took one to Inuyasha,

"Here. Try this."

He looked at the orange drink,

"What is it?"

"It's called a screwdriver. Just try it. It's good.", she said.

He watched her sip the drink and he did the same. He held it away and stared at it,

"It IS good. It's like oranges but, what else is in it?"

"Vodka.", Kagome smiled.

"HUH? You're kidding, right? It doesn't burn like that other stuff did. And, ", he sniffed, "It doesn't really smell like the other stuff."

"The orange juice masks it and when vodka is mixed with fruit juice, it doesn't burn going down."

Inuyasha swallowed the drink in one gulp,

"Can I have some more?"

"Bar's over there.", she pointed it out.

She didn't realize what she had just done.

--

Sitting down to dinner, Kagome groaned a bit. The place was using western utensils not chopsticks. Kagome watched as Inuyasha played with the utensils. Somehow, without anybody telling him, he figured out how to make a miniature band. As he drummed the spoon between the table and his hand, he looked at Kagome happily,

"Lookit Kagome.", he said to her like a child.

Kagome laid her hand over his "instrument" and said calmly,

"Not here."

She was aware of the stares they were receiving but, Inuyasha seemed immune.

'_Maybe it's because of how he grew up_.', she reasoned.

It didn't stop there. Inuyasha soon figured out how to balance a spoon on his nose,

"Hey, Kagome.", he called out ... getting her attention as well as everybody else at the table.

Admist murmers, Kagome called out,

"Chopsticks please."

--

Kagome didn't count on Inuyasha's demon hunger, although she should have known. The young man devoured everything placed in front of him before others had a chance to start eating. After getting chopsticks, his table manners improved tremendously, but, his hunger did not,

"Is there anymore?", he asked, innocently.

"No, Inuyasha. That's it.", she told him.

"Do you ever feed your husband?", asked a refined older woman, haughtily.

"No wonder his name is Inuyasha.", whispered one man to a woman, "He eats like a dog."

Kagome just sighed and rubbed Inuyasha's leg.

--

After dinner, the worst possible thing happened. Kagome became separated from Inuyasha. She kept getting caught up in conversations and was unsuccessful in breaking away,

'_What am I gonna tell them? My husband can't be free to explore_?', she sighed, as she looked around nervously.

Her nervousness was dead on. Inuyasha's growling stomach and keen nose had him heading into the kitchen. Most of the cooking was through, but, leftovers and unused appetizers filled the room. He made short work of all of it. By that time, he decided he was thirsty again. He stopped by the bar and asked for another screwdriver. Then another. And another. He didn't realize how long he sat there ordering screwdrivers. He figured, the guy making them was just giving them to him and not asking for any money so, why not? After a while, he tried to get his eyes in focus.

He blinked his eyes and then he saw it. An enormous cake with colored liquid falling out of it. He stumbled over to it and tried to examine it. He was curious as to how the liquid was coming out from the cake. He had seen Kagome's cakes and they never had liquid coming out of it. He walked around it. Lifted the table skirt and crawled under. Nothing he could see explained what was happening. He finally decided to take matters into his own hands.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!" a woman screamed out a short time later.

Kagome, fearing the worst, ran to the sound of the voice. A crowd had gathered and the voices were those of disbelief and anger. She caught a glimse of her husband. There was Inuyasha, his face and hands covered in gooey cake. The fountain cake was destroyed - with most of it being in Inuyasha's gut. Inuyasha grabbed what her thought was a towel but, was actually the tablecloth underneath the cake. As he pulled, the rest of the cake toppled. He tried to wipe his hands and, in his haste, his ring went flying.

He fell to the floor to hide his features but, from the words that hit his ears and Kagome's ears, the damage was done,

"Did you see that?"

"He has silver hair?"

"And dog ears?"

"Impossible!"

'_Inuyasha_!', she thought.

Inuyasha crawled on the floor trying to find his ring. Between his haste and drunken stupor, his crawling on the floor caused people in the crowd to begin to fall to the floor as he knocked them off balance. Kagome tried to follow the line of falling people to find Inuyasha. The people's voices became louder as talk about Inuyasha's change in appearance dominated the conversations.

Inuyasha located his ring just as Kagome caught up to him. She tried to hide him as he tried to get the ring on over the layers of cake on his hand. Succeeding, he stood up behind Kagome,

"His hair changed color again.", said a woman.

"He had dog ears. What happened?", said another.

Kagome tried to quell the crowd. She nervously responded,

"Dog ears? Hair changing color? Really. Please. That's impossible. I think maybe we all had too much to drink tonight. Inuyasha, let's go home.", she said, her voice soft, but stern.

He looked around and then glumly nodded. She took his hand and led him out to the waiting limo. When the driver opened the door, she pushed Inuyasha into the car,

"Hey. Don't be so rough."

"You're taking a shower when we get home.", she told him.

Inuyasha stared at his filthy hands,

"I'm sorry. I forgot everything you told me.", he said softly.

She looked at him,

"I'm not mad. Really, I'm not. I keep forgetting how everything in this world is so different for you. Of course, you'd be fascinated."

"Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"Why are there three of you?"

"Shit, Inuyasha, you're drunk."

"No, I'm not."

"Don't you remember the time you fell in the sake jar? You were drunk then, too. And that was just from it being absorbed through your skin and what little you swallowed. Geez, how many drinks did you have?"

Inuyasha wobbly held up his hands,

"Dis many, I tink."

"EIGHT? Oh, well, you're gonna feel it tomorrow. I think I'll draw you a bath instead of a shower."

"Kagome?"

"Yes, Inuyasha?"

"I tink I'm gonna be ..."

"OH INUYASHA!", Kagome cried out, as Inuyasha choked, coughed, and gagged on the throwup that now lay on the floor of the car and permeated the air.

--

_A/N: So sorry for the long delay. It's called old age. I have been having major problems with my eyes and I couldn't see the screen and keyboard to type. But, I'm back. Chapter 11 up very soon!_


	11. Shinta's Demon Exposed

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Eleven

Shinta's Demon - Exposed

Kagome walked into her mother's kitchen,

"Oh, good morning dear. How did the dinner go last night?", her mother asked from her seat at the table.

"Don't ask.", Kagome moaned.

"So, Inuyasha made a complete ass of himself?", mused Souta.

"How did you know?", Kagome looked at her younger brother.

Souta smiled, "I've known Inuyasha long enough to understand that look on your face, sis."

Kagome sighed. Her mother patted her back,

"I'm so sorry, dear."

"It's not his fault.", Kagome said, "I shouldn't have tried to make him learn it all in just two weeks."

A hush fell over the room. Izayoi walked in a moment later,

"Uhh ... mama?"

"Yes, honey?", Kagome answered.

"Daddy's sick. He wants you to come to him."

Kagome sighed again,

"Big brave half-demon fights off demons 5 times his size. Gets drunk and he needs to be coddled."

"He's drunk, Kagome?", asked her mother.

"Well, he was last night. More like hungover now.", Kagome explained.

"You wait right there. I'll fix him up nice and quick."

--

Kagome entered the bedroom and shut the door. Inuyasha groaned,

"Didja need to slam the damn door?"

"I didn't.", Kagome responded softly.

Inuyasha lay prone on the bed. Izayoi had gotten him a warm, damp rag to place over his eyes. His right arm was up over his head. She noticed that he still appeared human and realized he still wore the ring bearing the spell. She chose to keep quiet about that,

"I have something for you.", she said quietly, as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Inuyasha removed the rag and peered up at her,

"What is it?", he groaned.

"Medicine. For your hangover."

He sat up and took the cup of hot liquid from her hand. He lifted it to his lips but, backed off,

"I smell something spicy in here."

"Who cares as long as it works? Trust me. It'll cure any hangover in an instant."

"Why does that line sound familiar?"

Kagome smiled at him,

"Drink up."

Inuyasha sniffed it again before taking a sip. He felt the burn go down his throat,

"Kagome! I hate spicy shit!"

"And I don't particularly care for liver drink. But, I trusted you and drank it and it cured my cold. Now, it's your turn to trust me.", she implored him.

Inuyasha realized he was cornered. He looked at the steaming liquid and then picked it up and downed it. He soon realized the spicyness actually warmed him up,

"Hmmm. That's not too bad.", he commented.

"See? Told you.", she said, as she took the cup from him.

"Did you make that, Kagome?"

"Nope. My mom did. Now, lay down and rest. Give the medicine time to take effect."

Inuyasha did as he was told and Kagome covered him with the blankets. She kissed his forehead softly. She then commented,

"Why do you still have your spell ring on?", she whispered.

"Because I like the idea of wearing the ring to show our love for each other.", he whispered.

Kagome smiled at him before leaving the room to let him rest.

--

Inuyasha felt better later that day but decided to spend the day resting on the couch. Kagome went out to her dance classes with her friends. She was keeping the classes a secret from Inuyasha. She wanted to surprise him with a seductive dance one night.

After the classes ended, she stopped in to the jewelry store where she had purchased the ring for the spell. The man behind the counter recognized her,

"Ahhh, Ms. Higurashi. To what pleasure do I owe this visit?"

"Hello, Mr. Kobayashi, how are you today?"

"Just fine, my dear. And you?"

"Never better. Never better. I need to ask a question. Do you have another man's ring like the one I bought with this pair?", she showed him the ring she wore.

"Yes, yes of course. Is there a problem with that one I sold you?"

"No. Not at all. But, my husband loves it so much and I realized - I never got it engraved. I really would hate to ask him for the ring back to get the engraving done so, I was wondering ...?"

"Don't you worry, Ms. Higurashi.", he said, pulling out a personalization form, "What would you like on the ring?"

"I want the words 'My love and fidelity forever'."

"Ahh OK. In Romanji or Kanji?"

"Kanji. Definitely."

"Good. Good. And, do you wish me to send the bill to your accountant?"

"Yes, please."

"Very well. It will be ready by next Friday. Is that quite alright?"

"Oh, yea, sure. That's fine. Thank you so very much.", she bowed.

He returned the bow, "You're very welcome, my dear."

--

Kagome's mother and Izayoi set dinner on the table. The table was full tonight except for the noticeably absent Shinta

"Where's Shinta?", Kagome asked.

"Oh, he said he wasn't feeling good. Nasty, nasty headache.", her mother told her.

"He's been in bed nearly all day.", Inuyasha told her.

"Have you checked on him?", Kagome's voice was worried.

"Of course. What kind of a father do you think I am?", Inuyasha muttered, grumpily.

"He's fine, dear. I gave him some ibuprofin. Just let him rest.", her mother calmed her down.

"OK.", Kagome calmed herself down.

It didn't take long for the conversation to turn to the formal dinner the night before. As Inuyasha growled and made faces at his family, Kagome told them everything from the limo ride to the pratfalls of guests as Inuyasha attempted to locate his ring. Everyone at the table (except Inuyasha) was in stitches at the series of unfortunate events that had taken place the night before. Even Kagome realized that, through it all, it actually was a hilarious evening,

"We'll hafta prepare you better for next time.", Souta told him.

"HMPH!", Inuyasha pulled his typical reaction, "There won't BE a next time."

"Oh, Inuyasha, stop being a grump.", Kagome chided him, "You need to lighten up and stop being so serious. Laugh at yourself once in a while."

Inuyasha's only response was another, "HMPH!"

--

Early the next morning, the phone rang. Kagome answered it,

"Higurashi Shrine."

"Kagome? It's Yoshimi from Icarus Books. How are you today?"

"Hi, Yoshimi. I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm okay. I needed to talk to you."

"Oh? What about? The book?"

"No. Not exactly."

"Then what exactly?", Kagome's voice became suspicious.

"It's about the dinner we had for you. You know, I went through alot to get that dinner for you. I stuck my neck out. The publishers were a bit uncertain about honoring you so early in your career but, I told them that you were a winner. Your career was just taking off."

"Well, thank you, Yoshimi. I never asked for you to do that.", her voice bristled. She had an idea where this was going,

"Uhm, who was that man you were with, may I ask?"

"He is my husband.", her voice was flat yet, cocky.

"He's sorta strange ..."

"Well, it would be a pain in the ass if we were all the same now, wouldn't it?", she queried in a smart-alecky voice.

"But, Kagome ... what he did ... he went into the kitchen and ate all the leftovers and ..."

"Oh, I'm sorry... were you gonna send that food to starving children in Africa? Or just throw it out?"

"That's not the point, Kagome ..."

"What harm did it do? At least you didn't waste any food. You got your money's worth out of it.", she tried to keep her voice steady and calm.

He sighed, "Ahahh ... and then the incident with the cake ..."

"He wasn't the only one drunk that night, I assure you ..."

"But, nobody else devoured a cake designed for 400 people! Kagome - he was a pig ... his table manners were atrocious ... he ... he ..."

"Yoshimi ... just spit it out already ..."

"Kagome ... we've decided that your ... husband ... is not welcomed at anymore affairs that we host. I'm sorry."

"You've decided, huh? Fine ... if my husband is not welcomed that I refuse to attend as well ..."

"Don't do this, Kagome. Don't be a wise ass so early on ... the publishers don't like dealing with people like that ..."

"TOUGH SHIT! I can do what I want when I want ... and for our information - I'm breaking the contract ..."

"You can't - you owe us five more books in the next 6 years ... if you do we'll have to sue ..."

"GO FOR IT!", Kagome slammed the phone down so hard she nearly broke it, "WHY THE NERVE OF THEM!"

She heard a door shut behind her. She turned and saw no one. Taking a sniff she realized,

'_Oh Inuyasha. You overheard_.'

--

Inuyasha shut the door and leaned against it, his arms behind his back,

'_I embarrassed her. Because of me, she's a pariah. She must hate me now_.', he thought.

He pulled away from the wall and walked outside.

--

Shortly after lunch, Kagome headed out for her classes. She was concerned because Inuyasha had skipped lunch - a very un-Inuyasha thing to do. She followed his scent to the Goshinboku. She looked up and saw a glimpse of red only because the tree was beginning to lose its leaves,

"Inuyasha?"

"Yea?"

"Why weren't you at lunch?"

"Didn't feel like it."

Kagome wanted to push the issue but, decided against it,

"I'm heading out."

"Again? Where do you keep going all the time?"

"I've told you. Yuka needs help planning her wedding. I'll see you later, ok?"

"Yea. Whatever."

--

The classes were drawing to a close. Kagome had worked herself especially hard and she longed for a nice, hot shower. Stepping out of the stall, she dried herself and styled her hair quickly with the hair dryer in the locker room.

Heading out of the locker room refreshed, she heard her name being called,

"KAGOME! HURRY UP! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!"

It was Eri's voice. Kagome rushed to where the women were gathered. Many were sobbing. Some were wailing,

"What's wrong?", she asked.

She didn't need an answer. The television answered for her. The pictures showed helicopters in the air, flames and smoke everywhere, buildings in ruins, people running for their lives - screaming at the top of their lungs

"_It is like a Godzilla movie come to life. Buildings are being destroyed and people are running for their very lives. The danger is real - we just don't know who or what is causing all this destruction ..."_

Kagome heard the news reporter and witnessed the destruction. One area seemed to be the epicenter. She felt the earth move under her. The women screamed louder.Kagome just stared at the screen. She watched a helicopter crew try to get a vantage point but, as they hovered near, suddenly the screen went black. The news reporter stated that something had taken out the helicopter but, before the screen went black she was sure of what she glimpsed,

'_NO_! _An incredible demonic aura_!'

She turned to her friends,

"You have to get away from here. NOW!"

"But, Kagome, where do you want us to go?", cried Yuka.

"And what about you?", Ayumi cried.

"Go north. Just keep going. Don't take the trains ... nothing ... just keep running until you get out of Tokyo. As for me, I have to go back to the shrine."

Eri grabbed her shoulders,

"That's ludicrous, Kagome! That's heading right into all the destruction..."

"I'll be fine. Now - GO ... PLEASE ... I don't need to worry about you ..."

The women watched as Kagome took off out the door.

--

Inuyasha walked in from making a small snack. He felt a chill go down his spine and his fur raise up on end,

'_Damn! What is this feeling_?', he wondered.

He place his bowl on the table and started to head to the door. His eyes were drawn to the vase,

'_The vase is ... glowing ... it's ... possessed_?'

The house shook violently,

"EARTHQUAKE?", he wondered aloud.

He headed outside and stopped dead in his tracks. What he saw and felt made him sick to the stomach. He couldn't believe what he was feeling,

'_What a strong demonic aura. It's stronger than Naraku's. Is it Shinta putting off this type of aura_?', he thought.

He walked into the main house's living room. Everyone was gathered around the television. Kagome's mother held on tightly to four sobbing pups ... her own eyes blinded with tears. Souta sat on the floor - his arms wrapped around his legs, rocking back and forth, shaking his head in disbelief. Grandpa was bawling,

"OH NO! IT'S HORRIBLE! NO! NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING ..."

Shiori and Izayoi ran to their father,

"WHERE'S MAMA? DADDY - PLEASE WHERE IS MAMA?", they cried out together.

He held his daughters and watched the destruction on the television set. He felt his skin crawl. He knew what he had to ask,

"KAI!"

The child just sat there crying. Inuyasha went over to him, knelt down and grabbed the boy's shoulders,

"KAI! LOOK AT ME! Where's Shinta? ANSWER ME, KID! WHERE IS SHINTA?"

Kai sobbed uncontrollably,

"I-I-I don't know ..."

Inuyasha turned back towards the tv for a moment. He knew what he had to do,

"Mama. Jii-chan. Souta. You have to get outta here. Now!"

"What are you saying?", her mother asked.

"The town is falling. You have to leave. Trust me. You need to get away from here ..."

"But, it's all the way in downtown Tokyo ...", jii-chan protested.

Inuyasha sniffed,

"Not for long. Please. Go. Kagome would want this."

"What about the children?", her mother sobbed.

"I'll take care of them. Now, come on. Grab Buyo and let's go!"

Souta grabbed a pet carrier from another room. Kai brought Buyo into Souta,

"What about Ronin?", asked Izayoi.

"You'll take care of him.", her father answered.

He led the family outside. The destruction was visible from the shrine. The fires were drawing closer and people were running down the street, screaming. Ronin barked at all the commotion. Inuyasha ran into his house and grabbed his hitoe and adjusted Tessaiga on his hip. Before leaving the bedroom, he grabbed Kagome's bow, arrows and magic sack.

As he arrived in the garden, Kagome landed softly on the ground. He saw the fear registered in her eyes,

"We have to evacuate your family.", he told her.

"I know.", she answered.

"Oh, Kagome!", her mother cried out.

"What is happening, dear girl?", her grandfather answered.

"I don't know. But, I need you to head out of Tokyo. As fast as possible.", she told them.

"Oh no!", her mother cried.

"What?", Inuyasha and Kagome chorused together.

"Pictures. I didn't grab pictures.", she sobbed.

"So what?", said Inuyasha but, Kagome reassured her,

"I'll grab them and put everything in the fire proof safe, ok?"

Her mother nodded, "Now, just go. Quickly."

She watched her brother, mother and grandfather wade into the crowd of evacuees and disappear. She turned her attention to her kids. Inuyasha was kneeling in front of Kai,

"Son. I need you to pay close attention to me. You are Aniki right now. The Beta male. I need you to grow up alot. Take your brother, sisters and Ronin back to our world. Go to Aunt Sango. She'll take care of you."

"But ... but, where's Shinta? He's Beta ... not me ...", he sobbed.

Inuyasha hugged him close. He remembered how he felt right after his mother died. The fear. The uncertainty. The loneliness.

"I know, Kai. I know. I think it's Shinta causing this. Don't ask questions. I'll explain it all later. But, I need you to be a man. Now, more than ever. Can you do that for me, my great demon son?"

Kai sniffed hard and nodded, "Yes, father.", he answered in the most grown up voice he could muster.

"Good. Everybody, give us hugs. We'll be back as soon as we can.", Inuyasha explained.

Shiori looked at her dad,

"You're not coming?"

Kagome picked her up,

"If this is Shinta doing this then we must stop him. If anyone else tries to stop him they might kill him.", she explained.

Shiori nodded. Kai picked up Kanta and walked into the wellhouse. Izayoi picked up Ronin. Kagome kissed her pups,

"Be safe", she told them.

Inuyasha picked them up and threw them into the well and watched as the bluish light engulfed them. As soon as they were gone, Kagome ran into the main house and gathered all the pictures and non-replaceable things she could find and put them into the fire proof safe that her father had installed years ago to protect all the old scrolls. She then joined Inuyasha,

"Get on my back.", he told her.

Leaping from building to building, Inuyasha tried to hone in on Shinta's scent to no avail. The smell of gunpowder, human blood and burning flesh burned his nostrils and stung his eyes,

"Inuyasha.", Kagome spoke, "I'm sorry for doubting you. About Shinta, that is."

"Don't be. I wanted to be wrong. I even asked him and he said he wasn't responsible."

"He lied to you?"

"No. I think he actually doesn't realize what's happening. His demon is taking over and he's just a mindless puppet."

"What would cause his demon to react like that, though? His mother was a low ranking demon. Not like the demon blood you inherited from your father."

"I don't know, Kagome. I don't know."

Inuyasha finally managed to centralize the scents and headed in that direction. In an alleyway between two crumbled buildings stood a ferocious animal. Hair flying about wildly, eyes redder than fire ... the beast was cornered for the time being,

"Inuyasha! NO! They're gonna shoot him!", Kagome cried out, seeing the law with their guns drawn.

Inuyasha's presence caught the police off guard and enabled Shinta to escape,

'_Good_.', Inuyasha thought, '_Now, I can corner him_.'

He stopped and let Kagome down, instructing her to stay close but to keep the police at bay. They raced after Shinta - following him where ever he went. Finally, he landed and took the defensive. Inuyasha landed a short way away and faced him. Kagome landed nearby,

"HUH?", she gasped, "Shinta's face ..."

Inuyasha noticed it as well,

'_Those markings on his face ... it couldn't be _...'

He didn't have time to ponder it. Shinta launched a full attack at him. Inuyasha tried to block the attack and found himself flying,

'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"INUYASHA!", Kagome screamed.

She sensed the police growing closer and quickly wrote up simple sutra spells to form barriers. She fired her arrows in the perimeter around where Shinta and Inuyasha were fighting,

"That'll keep'em back a bit."

She turned her attention back to Inuyasha. Shinta was keeping Inuyasha on the defensive,

'_Why is he so strong_?', Inuyasha wondered, as he took another blow.

Shinta was relentless. He went after Inuyasha with a volley of attacks. Some of the attacks were eerily familiar to Kagome and Inuyasha,

'_DAMMIT! I'm losing alot of blood_.', Inuyasha thought, '_He's knows my weak spots because he's seen me fight before_.', Inuyasha's eyes grew wide, '_HIS CLAWS_...!'

"What's with Shinta's claws?", Kagome wondered aloud, "It's just like ..."

Shinta took off and Inuyasha followed. Kagome grabbed what arrows she could before she headed off behind them. Shinta landed again and faced off with Inuyasha. The battle raged. Inuyasha was trying to absorb as much of Shinta's attacks as he could to try to weaken him, but, it was backfiring. Inuyasha was the one getting weakened. Shinta punched him mercilessly, sending Inuyasha flying into the sides of buildings, demolishing them. It was getting to the point that Inuyasha was having a hard time getting back up to fight.

He knelt there, panting, trying to get his strength. His eyes blurred and blood poured from his wounds. He looked up and saw his son approaching him, claws glistening in strike position. He heard Kagome's scream,

"Inuyasha! Something's wrong! My barriers stopped working! The police are coming! They'll kill you and Shinta!"

"Hear that, kid? They're coming for ya. This is the end."

Inuyasha looked into the boy's eyes. All he saw was red fury. He knew from the start that talking to him would be useless and this proved his theory. He gathered the last of his strength and stood up, pulling out Tessaiga. The sword transformed. Kagome ran up just in time to see Inuyasha unsheath the deadly weapon,

"IT'S YOU OR ME, KID! AND I CHOOSE ME!", Inuyasha screamed.

Kagome screamed,

"NO! INUYASHA DON'T DO IT!"


	12. Sesshoumaru's Secret

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Twelve

Sesshoumaru's Secret

Kagome stared at the scene. Inuyasha, battered, beaten and bloody, stood tall, Tessaiga drawn and transformed. Shinta, poised to strike a deadly strike, his claws raised and glowing in the early evening sky. The smoke surrounding them was getting denser and the fire was literally licking at their feet. Screams from terrified people filled the air along with shouts of orders from police to surround the area. Time seemed to stand still after Kagome saw Inuyasha ready Tessaiga and face off with his son,

"NO! INUYASHA! PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS!", she screamed out again, her voice filled with dread and fear.

She then realized what was happening. Tessaiga transformed into the Dragon-Scaled Tessaiga. Inuyasha wasn't going to kill Shinta - just stop him. But, she also knew, in his condition, it could very well be fatal.

Inuyasha felt the sword tremble with power,

'_Tessaiga. I'm counting on you. Bring down Shinta. PLEASE_!', he mentally urged the sword.

He raised Tessaiga just as Shinta prepared his final attack. Time stood still ... or so it seemed. Shinta stopped ... unable to move. Energy flowed out of his body and into the Tessaiga. Inuyasha grasped the hilt tightly. He felt the pain rip through him. His hands burned. His blood boiled. His mind became frenzied,

'_What is flowing into me from Tessaiga_?', he wondered.

To Kagome, it seemed like hours when it was only seconds. Shinta dropped, unconscious, to the ground. She ran passed Inuyasha to her son and touched him,

'_Good. He's alive_.', she thanked the gods, "Inuyasha!", she called out.

She turned and looked. Inuyasha was on his knees - his hair covering his face. She could hear his growling and snarling,

"Inuyasha?", she got up and went towards him.

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!", he screamed, throwing Kagome to the ground.

"INUYASHA!", she cried in a panic, noticing that Inuyasha had transformed into his demon self,

Her voice brought him back momentarily,

"His ... his power ... is incredible ... Tessaiga can't contain it ... the sword is trying to transfer his demon power into me ..."

He gasped and fell to the ground. The aura surrounding him was malevolent and angry. Inuyasha's weakened state couldn't handle much more ...

He managed to sheath the sword. He lifted it up to Kagome. She took it from him. The power emanating from the sword sent jolts of electricity around her,

"Kagome,", his gravelly voice said, "Go. Take that back home. Get it away from me. From us."

"But ... what about you and Shinta? The cops ..."

"Go. I'll get Shinta - just go now ... or we won't be here for you to worry about ..."

Kagome looked at her husband for a moment before glancing back at her son. She then leaped up to the nearest building and headed for the well.

--

Arriving on the other side, Kagome ran back to the village. Tessaiga seemed calmer now that it was away from Inuyasha and Shinta but, Kagome knew that also meant that Inuyasha had absolutely no way to control his demonic blood if it got out of hand. Between his wounds and the residual effects of using the Dragon-scaled Tessaiga to absorb Shinta's youkai powers, she wasn't sure what would happen to his mind if his demon blood took over.

Her children and Sango tried to greet her, but she brushed them off. Their worries about Inuyasha and Shinta needed to wait. She knew she had to seal up Tessaiga somehow. When Inuyasha and Shinta showed up, how would the sword react?

--

She sealed Tessaiga in an abandoned hut. She placed numerous spells on the sword and sutras on the hut to keep it inside. She hoped that was enough. She went back to her hut. Trying to calm herself, she boiled some water for some tea. Sango showed up with the children,

"Mama?", asked Kai.

She swallowed hard,

"Izayoi. Shiori. I need all the medicinal herbs you can find. Kai ... bring me pails of water. Sango, please, get Shippou and help him get all the sheets you can. I don't have enough bandages."

"Kagome.", Sango softly spoke.

"Inuyasha is seriously hurt. I need to be able to treat him when he returns. I'll explain everything later. I promise. Please, hurry."

Sango could see her friend was terribly shaken. She ushered the children out the door,

"Come on, children. Let's get everything."

A short time later, the hut was brimming with everything Kagome would need to help Inuyasha ... except Inuyasha. She walked outside amd looked in the direction of the well,

'_Where are you, Inuyasha_?', she worried.

--

Inuyasha grabbed Shinta just as the cops appeared,

"STOP RIGHT THERE OR WE'LL SHOOT!"

"I DON'T HAVE TIME TO DEAL WITH YOU RIGHT NOW!", he yelled at them.

He waffled between demonic and hanyou. His son, flung over his shoulder, was human and unconscious. He didn't have the strength to jump. Running towards the cops, he unleashed what he had,

"BLADES OF BLOOD!", he yelled out the attack name.

The cops fell as Inuyasha ran through them. His strength waned. He knew it had to be because of the effects of the Dragon-scaled Tessaiga. It was counteracting his demonic blood's ability to heal. He pushed himself ... willed himself to get to the well.

Reaching the Sengoku Jidai, he made the decision to not go to the village. Tessaiga was there. He felt going to the village would put everyone else in danger. He gathered his strength and headed north. He knew where he had to go but, did he have the strength to get there?

The answer soon became obvious. Carrying Shinta and suffering from the ill effects of stealing his son's youki, he collapsed at the side of a road.

He didn't know how long he had lay there but, it was pitch black when he awoke. His son remained unconcious and he was glad for that. Following the scent of water, he found a stream. He drank deeply, appreciating the cool, refreshing water.

He sat down and looked around. His eyes landed on an outcropping. Picking up his son, he headed towards the rocks. It was a small cave. He decided to leave his son there. He laid Shinta down. Sniffing around, he decided it was indeed safe to leave his injured son. He went out and removed all traces of their footsteps. He then walked in the opposite direction and urinated in a trail that led far away from the cave.

Confident that his son was protected, Inuyasha took off, running at top speed and ignoring the pain and burning in his body. He stopped to rest just before he reached his destination. Toutousai's. He walked over the volcanic rock to the old sword smith's cave. Entering, he called out, weakly,

"HEY! TOUTOUSAI! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Master Inuyasha. It's you ... OH MY ... what happened my lord?", Myouga the flea hopped up on Inuyasha's shoulder, "What manner of beast did this to you?"

"Where's the old man?", Inuyasha asked, ignoring the flea's questions.

"I'm here, Inuyasha.", Toutousai appeared from the back of the cave, "I agree with Myouga ... what happened to you?"

Inuyasha collapsed to the ground,

"It's Shinta. When I found him he was completely demon - nothing but a puppet. Just like me.", his voice softened, "He has ... such strength for a kid ... I've ... never ... seen or felt ..."

"You're saying Shinta did this to you?", Toutousai repeated, "How is that possible? The blood of the strongest demon ever to roam Japan resides in your body. You said Shinta's mother was a low ranking demon ... how could he do this much damage to you?"

"He knew my weaknesses and used that against me.", Inuyasha stopped and panted, even the strain of talking was becoming harder, "I had to use Dragon-scale Tessaiga ..."

"WHAT? Oh, master, you know that can be deadly to you ...", moaned Myouga.

"If it meant saving Shinta ...", Inuyasha panted out.

"The real question is how his demon became so powerful and why it overtook him.", Toutousai mused.

"Don't ... have time ... for that ...", Inuyasha panted, "I need you to make him a sword ... like Tessaiga ... to hold his powers back ..."

"No can do, Inuyasha.", was Toutousai's flat reply.

This seemed to give Inuyasha more stamina. He sat up straighter,

"WHAT? WHADDYA MEAN?"

"I mean that you are not Shinta's biological father. I would need a fang of someone who wanted to protect him and was related directly to him. Mother, father, brother, sister, grandmother ..."

"His mother is dead! His father is human! He has no siblings!", Inuyasha spat out.

"Do you know where his mother's family is ... her mother and father?", Toutousai asked.

"His grandmother, yes. She belongs to the Bokusouchi tribe of inus in the west ..."

Toutousai perked up,

"The Bokusouchi tribe, you say?"

"Yea. But, I visited her. She wants nothing to do with him.", Inuyasha sighed.

Toutousai appeared lost in thought. As he mulled this information over, Myouga called out to him,

"Toutousai! Inuyasha has fallen unconcious!"

Sure enough, the weakened hanyou began to slump over. His breathing became erratic and shallow,

"We must get him to Lady Kagome at once!", Myouga urged.

Toutousai agreed and he managed to lift Inuyasha's dead weight onto Moo Moo, his three-eyed cow. Climbing on behind Inuyasha, they took off for the village.

--

Kagome was sleeping lightly in the main room of the hut when she heard a soft,

"Moooo."

She jumped up,

'_That sounds like Toutousai's cow_.', she thought, as she rushed to the porch.

Kohaku had heard the familiar call as well, as he laid in bed pondering what Kagome had told him about Shinta and Inuyasha. He rushed outside,

"Lady Kagome.", he called.

Kagome looked up and saw Moo-Moo appear and land,

"INUYASHA!", she gasped.

"He needs help, Kagome.", Toutousai told her.

Kohaku ran up,

"Let me get him.", Kohaku said, as he pulled Inuyasha's limp body off the cow and carried him over his shoulders into Kagome's hut,

"What happened, Toutousai? And where's Shinta?", asked Kagome.

"Shinta? I don't know Kagome. Inuyasha came alone.", the old demon explained.

Kohaku laid Inuyasha's body on the futon that Kagome had been sleeping on. Kagome began sponging off the blood,

"He's very weak.", she murmured.

"From the effects of the Dragon-scaled Tessaiga no doubt.", Myouga commented, "Even as badly injured as he was, his body should have begun healing by now."

"What did he want, Master Toutousai?", Kohaku asked.

Touotousai sat down, "He wanted information about getting a sword like Tessaiga forged for Shinta. But, I need a fang of a direct blood demon relative for that ... and that relative must want to protect Shinta."

"I see.", Kagome said, softly.

"Kagome, tell me something, if you can. Inuyasha mentioned that Shinta's kin is the Bokusouchi clan. Did he tell you anything about that?", asked Toutousai.

"Only a little bit. He said Sesshoumaru told him where Shinta's mother came from. Inuyasha said his grandmother was an omega inu and should never have birthed Shinta's mother.", Kagome told him.

"Did he mention Shinta's grandmother's name, by chance?", Toutousai pressed on.

"Uhmm ... yes, I believe he did... it was ... Kameko, I believe."

"HUH?", Myouga looked at her wide-eyed, "Did you say Kameko?"

"Yes, I believe that's what he said.", answered Kagome.

"Hmmm. Kameko is now an omega inu? I'm surprised she's not dead.", mused Toutousai.

"What do you mean by that, Master Toutousai?", asked Kohaku.

"The Bokusouchi inu clan is a very old clan. They used to be a very powerful clan. They aided the Inu no Taisho on many occasions. The alpha male was named Wataru. His alpha female was named Kameko."

"What?", Kagome stared at him, "So, she used to be alpha?"

"Yes. A long time ago. She bore only one child. A son, Ukito. He became the beta male. The great dog general fought beside the alpha and beta males many times. They were allies. And, Kameko became Sesshoumaru's nursemaid. She practically raised him from his birth. They were said to have a very special relationship. That was, until, the Panther Demon Tribe invaded."

"Oh. What happened?", Kagome's interest piqued, as she continued to care for Inuyasha's wounds.

"Kameko refused to let Sesshoumaru be a part of it. She held him back. The Inu no Taisho defeated the cats but, at a price. Wataru was seriously wounded. He lingered between life and death for months. The story says that another inu tribe heard that they were defenseless and attacked. Wataru, his son Ukito and Ukito's mate were killed along with all the pups and viable females. The remaining males were neutered. The new alpha brought in his own tribe to take over. This was at the time of Inuyasha's birth. The Great Dog General was unable to assist because he was in a duel with Ryokotsei."

"Then what happened to Kameko? Shouldn't she have been killed seeing as she was the alpha female?", asked Kohaku.

"Yes. She should have been. Especially, since she was with pup.", explained Toutousai.

"Then she should have been killed. She was carrying the alpha's heir. Doesn't that make her dangerous?", asked Kagome.

"She pleaded with the new alpha to spare her life. Told him that it was not Wataru's pup but that of a rogue demon she had mated with while Wataru was at battle. Apparently, the alpha took some pity on her and spared her life. He demoted her to omega and I am sure she lived a pitiful life after that. And, apparently, the pup born showed no signs of being fathered by the former alpha."

"Master Toutousai, do you know who the rogue demon was that fathered Shinta's mother?", asked Kohaku.

"No, I don't. She has never said. And, the pup was so low ranking, that no one cared."

"Hmmm.", Kagome murmured.

A loud explosion broke the early morning stillness,

"WHAT THE?", cried Kohaku.

Kagome feared she knew just what it was. Running outside, they saw it. The hut she had tried to secure Tessaiga in was blown to bits. Tessaiga, out of its sheath and glowing brightly, hovered in the air. The villagers awoken by the blast, stared at the sight,

"What's wrong with Tessaiga?", asked Toutousai, frightened.

"Inuyasha locked Shinta's youki inside. Tessaiga's having trouble containing it.", Kagome quickly explained.

The sword turned first left then right, as if trying to locate something or someone. In an instant in sped off,

"Where's it going?", asked Kohaku.

'_Probably looking for Shinta_.', Kagome thought worried.

"We should go after it", said Kohaku.

"No.", Kagome stated emphatically, "We need to evacuate the village. We don't know where Inuyasha left Shinta. But, if my hunch is correct, it will return with him here to the village."

"Why do you believe that, Kagome?", asked Myouga.

"Because I believe it wants to kill Inuyasha.", she told them.

"That's all I need to hear.", said Kohaku, as he took off quickly, "VILLAGERS! I IMPLORE YOU! LEAVE HERE QUICKLY FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!", he yelled out.

The villagers just stared at him - not knowing exactly what to think or do.

"Kohaku? What's the matter?", asked Sango, "Wasn't that Tessaiga we saw?"

"Yes. And it's having trouble housing Shinta's demonic power. Shinta is somewhere around here. Tessaiga is probably going to try to find Shinta and come back and try to destroy Inuyasha.", he informed her.

Sango's face registered shock and she looked toward Kagome. Kohaku seemed to read her mind,

"Inuyasha's in a terrible state from fighting Shinta. Come on, we need to evacuate these people.", he urged her.

It was too late. In the air above, a demonic aura formed. A gigantic, evil whirlwind of massive proportions,

"OH NO!", Sango breathed.

Kagome could smell the entity behind it,

"SHINTA!"

Shinta's body appeared. His eyes glowed a maniacal red. His claws oozed green poison. Lightening and thunder heralded his arrival,

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!", screamed villagers, as they ran helter skelter away from the center of the village.

Sango retrieved her Hairakotsu and ordered Nara to take the children to safety. Kohaku prepared his weapon. Kagome was about to get her bow when she saw a flash,

"INUYASHA!", she screamed.

Tessaiga's demonic aura had awakened the unconscious hanyou. He growled menacingly at his opponent. Kagome could smell he was transformed completely. It was father against son. Demon against demon. An uncommon strength versus an experienced warrior.

Shinta wasted no time. He released a whip-like appendage from his finger, forcing Inuyasha to dodge and protect. Each time that Inuyasha managed to avoid the whip, Shinta snarled in anger. Inuyasha ran and leaped at his son, twisting and kicking with his powerful left leg, sending Shinta flying into a group of huts, destroying them.

It didn't phase Shinta in the least. He merely stood back up and attacked again, sending the still injured hanyou against a wall of rock,

"The effect of the Dragon-scaled Tessaiga is bad indeed.", commented Toutousai, "With Inuyasha transformed as such, he should heal completely. But, he isn't."

"Just what are you saying, Toutousai?", asked Myouga.

"You're still here, Myouga? I'm surprised indeed.", replied Toutousai, "What I mean is this doesn't bode well for Inuyasha."

Kagome stared at the two demons before looking back at the battle,

'_Oh, Inuyasha_!'

The battle didn't last long. Inuyasha's demonic blood, called forth by the Tessaiga in response to Shinta's demon, was unable to heal its host. Inuyasha was in serious trouble and his opponent knew it. Inuyasha managed to avoid another attack lobbied off by Shinta and rolled over to the now lifeless Tessaiga. He grabbed his sword, transforming it. He used it to fight off Shinta's relentless attacks. He was too weak to attack - forced only to defend. His mind was reeling and ready to go blank.

Losing his balance, he felt the Tessaiga being ripped out of his hands by the force of Shinta's claws. He lay on his back - weak, bloody, half-dead. Shinta stood over him - claws glinting in the early morning light,

"Kill me and get it over with!", he ordered his son, his voice croaky.

"NO! SHINTA! NO! RETURN TO YOUR OLD SELF! PLEASE SHINTA!", his mother cried desperately.

Kai, Izayoi, Shiori and Kanta watched fearfully from the doorway. Sango and Kohaku just stared in disbelief at the strength that Shinta had unveiled. Toutousai and Myouga turned away.

"BAKUSAIGA!", the battle cry rang out.

Those gathered watched as Sesshoumaru attacked Shinta with just the pressure of his powerful blade. Shinta was thrown backwards, screaming in pain, landing in front of a tree, crumpled up,

"Sesshoumaru!", Kagome watched him before running to Inuyasha's side.

She wanted to check on Shinta but, decided to hold back. Sesshoumaru casually walked over to the unconscious boy and looked at him. He studied the boy's transformed face - the half-moon marking on his forehead, the double stripes on his cheeks, the green poisonous substance oozing from his fingertips,

'_Kameko ... what have you kept from me all these years_?'

Kagome ran over to Sesshoumaru. He turned to face her,

"Here.", he handed her Tenseiga, "This should keep his demon under control. Make him keep hold of this.", he informed her.

"But, Sesshoumaru ...", she started.

"Do as I say if you want him to live."

"Where are you going?", she asked, as he began lifting off,

"I have business to take care of."

She watched as he disappeared into the morning sky.

--

Sesshoumaru landed on an empty beach. He studied the rock outcropping in the sea. He followed the scents of the demons into their underground tunnel. Emerging on the other side, he was confronted by guards,

"MOVE!", he commanded.

The guards trembled. They knew who they were facing. They quickly backed down. Sesshoumaru walked purposefully into the lair. The alpha male approached him,

"What business do you have here, Sesshoumaru?", he demanded.

"My business is not with you. Move or I will kill you."

Proving just why the tribe was on the verge of extinction, the alpha male bowed and moved out of the way,

"KAMEKO! Show yourself. I know you are here.", Sesshoumaru called out.

The old inu dragged herself out of her hiding place,

"What does the great Lord Sesshoumaru want with a lowly demon such as I?", she said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

"Age has not been kind to you, old Kameko.", he responded. But, his voice held a certain reverence ... almost a pity.

"I do not need your pity. But, it has been my lot in life that has not been kind to me.", she replied.

"We must talk, woman.", Sesshoumaru said to her.

"Yes, I guess we must.", she agreed.


	13. Aisusaiga

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Thirteen

Aisusaiga

Kameko lazed on the floor in front of Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru's eyes turned and landed on the other inu demons,

"I suggest you leave.", he ordered them.

The demons bowed and slinked out of the cave,

"You always could empty a room, Sesshoumaru.", Kameko commented, coyly.

"As omega, you should show a daiyoukai more respect, woman.", he calmly said to her.

"Do you truly expect these old bones to rise up and lick your chin?", her comment was more sarcastic than reverent.

"Your attitude has not altered in 200 years, bitch.", he spat at her.

"You used to like my attitude, Sesshoumaru. It more closely resembled yours than your father's."

"You were an alpha queen back then. Things were different."

"Yes, I WAS a queen back then. And, my son was a prince. The only reason I even mated with Wataru was because your father was mated to the royal bitch from the continent. Wataru was your father's greatest ally. And, yet, your father ignored him in his time of need."

"You know perfectly well that, if my father had not fought Ryokoutsei, all of Japan would be nothing but a wasteland.", he reminded her sharply.

"HMPH! Maybe so - but, he was also caught up with that human wench that he mated. Why is it, Sesshoumaru, that your bastard half-brother is still alive? I am surprised you didn't finish him off years ago?"

"Inuyasha is none of your concern."

"You called him by name? The years have softened you, Sesshoumaru. When the filthy beast was born, what did you call him? Ahhh, yes, a mongrel."

Sesshoumaru said nothing. He just stared into space. Kameko continued,

"When Wataru was at battle, you were my only saving grace, my dear Sesshoumaru. Back then, you loved me. But, now ...", she waved her hand, "I am nothing."

"I loved only the thought of power, Kameko. Your status, your influence. But, then you lied to me. Lied to me about the panther demons. I should have fought beside my father but, you ..."

"I was only trying to keep you safe. Kami knows, your own mother didn't care. Oh, Sesshoumaru ... we could have been great together. My status and brains ... your power. We could have ruled all of Japan."

"You should have died, Kameko. When Wataru and Ukito were slain, you should have faced death with honor.", Sesshoumaru spoke forcibly.

"Then your child would have died with me.", Kameko's voice sounded sad.

"So it's true. Shinta's mother is my pup.", Sesshoumaru looked at her, no emotion on his face.

"How did you figure it out? Your scent could not possibly be on Mika's bastard pup."

"No. It wasn't. But, his demon blood overtook his human soul. When that happened, his face changed. The markings of my mother's clan appeared on his face."

"The half moon? I didn't realize the blood was that powerful. The only way I could tell that Mika was yours was her fur. She had no markings."

"It's of no consequence. A daughter is not a heir. She would have been a problem.", Sesshoumaru turned away.

"You feel that way, do you? I thought I had heard that you had learned compassion. So, your own daughter means nothing to you?"

"MEANS nothing? HMPH! Learn to talk, woman. She meant nothing to me.", he scolded her.

"No. She means nothing. I am aware of what I said. You see, there were two pups. One still lives."

"Two?", Sesshoumaru turned and faced her.

"The new beta's wife bore a girl pup. She died shortly after birth. The new alpha was only going to allow me to keep one pup. I hid Mika's twin. When the beta's girl pup died, I offered the second pup in exchange for her life. She was a basic tan color. Nothing exceptional. The beta's mate took her secretly. The beta male never knew that his mate's pup was actually mine. His sense of smell was always off kilter. Anyway, the beta female covered the new pup with her scent. One of our pups IS a princess. Beta pup Mariko."

'_Mariko_?', thought Sesshoumaru.

--

"Aaaaa-ooooooohhhhh", Inuyasha moaned, holding his head between his hands, "I think my head's gonna explode.", he groaned, weakly.

Kagome remoistened the rag that laid over his forehead,

"I'm not surprised. You've been unconscious for three days now.", she told him.

"Ugh. Three days, huh? Man, I feel like I've slept for a thousand years.", he grinned a lopsided grin.

"Well, Rip van Winkle, at least you still have your sense of humor.", she smiled.

His eyes squinted, "Who?"

"Never mind.", she shook her head.

"How's Shinta?", he asked, softly, eyeing his sword laying beside him.

"Better, thanks to Sesshoumaru."

"Whaddya mean by that?"

"Sesshoumaru gave me the Tenseiga. He told me to have Shinta hold onto it to keep his demon nature in check."

"The Tenseiga?", Inuyasha questioned, as he started to sit up, "Ooooohhh, I shouldn't have done that."

Kagome helped him get into a sitting position,

"According to Toutousai, when Sesshoumaru learned compassion, the Tenseiga changed. It will now do his bidding. We figured that Sesshoumaru willed it to protect his grandson."

"Is THAT what Sesshoumaru learned? Compassion? For who? Himself?", Inuyasha remarked, sarcastically.

"INUYASHA!", Kagome scolded.

"Yea. Yea. Whatever.", Inuyasha commented.

The reed door of their bedroom opened slowly,

"Dad?", came a tentative voice, "Are ... you alright?"

Inuyasha and Kagome looked at the door,

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the demon who ate Tokyo.", Inuyasha said, in the most sarcastic tongue he could muster, "Come on in and tell me all about your exploits."

Shinta walked in and looked between his father and mother. Both parents noted Tenseiga on Shinta's hip,

"I'd rather not if you don't mind.", he swallowed hard.

Inuyasha motioned him over with his hand,

"That wasn't a request.", Inuyasha's voice was dry and deadly serious.

Shinta knelt beside his father and hung his head. He knew his father was furious at him and he made sure not to make eye contact. He wasn't about to anger the alpha male anymore than he already was,

"Soooo, mind telling us how you became the terror of the modern age?", his father asked him.

"I - I don't know, really"

"You can't bullshit a bullshitter, boy.", Inuyasha leaned back against the wall.

"I'm sorry, father. I only wanted to fit in. I fought some kids ... this guy took a liking to my fighting ... took me to his oyabun ..."

"Oyabun?", questioned Kagome.

"What's an oyabun?", Inuyasha looked between Kagome and Shinta, "I don't know that word."

"A father ... foster father actually.", replied Kagome, "Of the Yakuza."

"That organized crime thing the old man was telling me about?", Inuyasha asked.

"The very same.", Kagome acknowledged.

"You got involved in THAT?", Inuyasha asked his son.

Shinta nodded glumly,

"He wanted me to kill his enemies. I didn't know they were the bad people. I thought he was like a warlord or something."

"And you killed, correct?", Inuyasha sighed.

Shinta nodded.

"Well, now I know where your demon blood got the taste for human blood.", Inuyasha commented.

"I don't know what happened. Soon, I felt the need to kill more. And, then, I stopped remembering altogether ...", Shinta explained.

Inuyasha closed his eyes. He knew exactly what Shinta was talking about. Kagome looked at Inuyasha's face. She knew what he was thinking,

"Then you were caught up completely in your demonic power.", Inuyasha said, softly.

"Shinta, do you know what caused you to go demonic this last time? When we rescued you?", his mother asked.

"I think so. I know I got angry when my oyabun believed I had betrayed him. He demanded that I perform the Yubitsume ..."

"The wha??", said Inuyasha.

"Ritual finger cutting.", Kagome explained, "It's common practice here, too. For samurais. You cut the tip of the little finger ...", she showed Inuyasha, "Making it harder to wield a sword."

Inuyasha nodded in understanding,

"But, in the Yakuza, it's a form of obedience?", he asked.

"Penance is more like it.", Kagome told him.

"And, that's when you went crazy.", Inuyasha started to finish Shinta's thoughts.

"It's not just that, dad.", Shinta explained, "There's more going on with the Yakuza and I figured it out. They really wanted to kill me."

"What did you find out?", Kagome asked.

"That modern Japan is on the verge of an all out war.", Shinta spoke, his words coming out breathlessly.

"WHAT?", Inuyasha found himself sitting up straighter.

"What do you mean, Shinta?", Kagome asked, fearful of the answer.

"Demons. Demons and humans ready to battle it out for supremacy in the modern era.", Shinta told them.

Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other in disbelief.

--

Toutousai worked tirelessly on a beautiful sword. Using his fire breath, he heated the blade and banged it into shape. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard his name,

"Toutousai."

"AAAAA!", he screamed, as he jumped up and turned around, "DAMMIT, Sesshoumaru, you shouldn't scare me like that."

"I didn't know you frightened so easily, old man. Or, is it because it is me?"

Toutousai didn't answer. He just stared at the daiyoukai,

"What do you want from me, Sesshoumaru?", he finally got up the nerve to speak.

Sesshoumaru lifted his hand and opened his mouth. With a quick 'SNAP' he yanked out his fang,

"I want you to make me a sword."

"A sword? Why? You have two perfectly good swords."

"Stop with the innocent act, Toutousai, or I will dispatch you into the netherworld. This is a sword for Inuyasha's boy, Shinta. He will need it to keep his demon blood sealed away. Like Inuyasha, his demonic blood is too strong for a hanyou. I commission you to make a sword like Tessaiga for the boy. Use my fang.", Sesshoumaru commanded.

"Only the fang of a blood relative will work for that kind of sword, Sesshoumaru.", Toutousai explained.

Sesshoumaru threw the fang at Toutousai, who caught it easily,

"Were you blind, old man? You were there. You saw the boy's transformed face. He bears my mother's mark. I am the boy's grandfather. I give you three days."

Sesshoumaru turned and walked out,

'_So, Sesshoumaru, you came clean, did you? At least you want to protect the boy_.'

--

_A Few Days Later ..._

Inuyasha, having recovered all of his strength, walked out into the cool autumn air. He breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with the fresh, clean scent of the Feudal Era,

'_I can so hate her era_.', he thought.

As he stood there, he realized his body was reacting lustfully. Sniffing the air again, he realized why,

'_Ahhhh. She's in heat_!', he thought, as he smirked inwardly.

He loved it when she was in heat. Her scent was spicier and even more alluring than normal. The best part was the fact that he needed to be full demon to impregnate her. This simple fact meant that he didn't keep her constantly pregnant when her heats came on. His eyes searched the village. He soon spotted the object of his lustful thoughts. He rubbed his hands together and headed towards her,

'_YES! I'm getting some very soon_!'

Kagome was walking with Sango, both sets of children in tow,

"So, I guess we're gonna hafta go back to my era and set these demons straight.", Inuyasha overheard her words,

"And, why will we hafta do that?", he queried, as he stopped her by wrapping his arms around her waist,

"Well, Inuyasha, you can't expect the humans in my time to be able to battle demons, can you? They don't even believe demons exist."

He pulled her into him, her back against his stomach. His face was buried under her hair into the crook of her neck. He lifted his head,

"Don't they have ... whaddya call them ... guns in your era? Demons aren't completely immortal."

He lifted her right arm and placed it around his neck. He rubbed his right hand up and down her arm following it with gentle, soft, barely there kisses,

"Uhhh ...duh... the demons have guns too. And, it will only take one shot to kill a human but multiple shots to kill a demon.", she reminded him.

"That's a big disadvantage.", commented Shippou, "Uhh, Inuyasha, can you focus for once?"

Inuyasha was completely losing himself to Kagome's heat scent,

"Mmmmm. Can't.", he mumbled, his hips gently grinding into her backside, "I need you.", he whispered huskily into Kagome's ear, before his tongue traced her ear and he sucked on her earlobe.

Kagome had to admit that his actions were having an affect on her. It had been a while since they had made love and, she was very horny,

"Sango?", she got out before Inuyasha turned her head with his fingers and his lips crashed into hers,

Sango looked behind her at the knowing inu pups and the gagging human children,

"C'mon you guys. Let's leave the two lovebirds be, shall we?", she said.

As they walked away, Suki looked back,

"Man, he really loves her. I hope I find a man like that one day.", she said, wistfully, as they watched Inuyasha lift Kagome up bridal style and head to their hut without ever breaking the kiss.

Izayoi just huffed,

"Pfft. Mama's in heat. It's a dog thing."

Sango watched them disappear into the hut and sighed sadly,

"You're wrong, Izayoi. Ever since your father expressed his feelings to your mother it's been like this. And, Suki, your father was like that. I know you'll find a man as good as your father and Inuyasha."

--

The small fishing village was alive with activity as the villagers prepared for the upcoming winter. A young girl walked into the fenced garden,

"Yoshito, darling, I've brought the oats for the horses. Could you please unload the cart for me?", she asked sweetly.

Yoshito/Miroku walked up to the fair brunette maiden,

"Lovely Juliet.", he bowed to her, "Your wish is my command."

She giggled,

"You are far more gallant than the men in my land.", she said, softly, "I guess that is why I fell so hard for you."

He pulled her into his arms,

"Fair Juliet, to me your voice is like a sweet bell.", he kissed her lips softly.

"I love you so much, dear Yoshito. I am looking forward to many cold nights in front of the hearth with you keeping me warm."

He rubbed her belly,

"At least until the little Yoshito makes his presence known.", he smiled at her.

"It may be a daughter, my love."

"Either way, I will adore my child for it will always remind me of the love I feel for you.", he kissed her again.

"Well, lover boy, we have work to do to get ready for the cold season.", she laughed.

"Aye aye, my love."

--

Inuyasha trailed kisses down from Kagome's lips to her now exposed full bosom. Taking his time, Inuyasha kneaded her left breast, as he suckled and licked her right. Her nipple responded to the attention, forming a stiff, erect peak. His tongue licked around the peak and areola before drawing it deep into his mouth. His fingers teased the hardening nipple on her left breast as Kagome softly moaned her approval.

Coming up for air, Inuyasha took off Kagome's blouse, his hands running softly down her arms as he dropped the sleeves. His eyes were full of lust and need as he eyed her bare skin. He looked into her eyes and saw just what he needed to see. Kagome's chocolate brown eyes looked at him with need and love. Her face was flushed with lust, her lips swollen from his kisses. Her tongue slowly reached out of her mouth to lick her lips and he caught her tongue in his mouth. He pulled her close to him as he kissed her deeply and passionately.

Releasing her lips, his hands played over her skin as he headed down to her peasant pants. He quickly untied them and removed them, his hands softly touching her legs as he did so. She laid naked in front of him and he enjoyed the vision. He caught her eyes playing over his body and he began to remove his own clothing. She sat up and began assisting. He decided to let her have some fun. She loved the smell and feel of his skin and as soon as his clothes piled on the floor, her hands rubbed his skin enticingly.

His skin was slick with the sweat of lust and this only drove her lust overboard. She wrapped her arms tightly around him pressing their bodies together. He grabbed her hair, playfully, pulling her head back and kissing her forcefully. The feel of her skin against his drove him insane,

"Damn! I just wanna fuck you.", he whispered.

Her lust was also out of control. She knew that making gentle love was not going to satisfy her. Or him,

"Take me, big boy. I wanna feel your rock hard cock slamming inside me.", her voice was husky and very demanding.

That was all Inuyasha needed to hear. His hands separated her legs, pulling them around his waist. As he pushed her down on her back, he slammed deeply inside her, causing both of them to cry out,

"Oh Kami, you're so tight!", he told her, his hands finding her breasts as he pulled and pinched her hardened nipples.

Kagome hugged her legs around his hips and matched his movements. Her fingers wrapped themselves in his silver mane, pulling his face closer and closer to her,

"Kami! Harder ... more ... OOOOO please!"

His hips banged into her harder, fulfilling her wants. Her lustful cries filled the room as Inuyasha felt his brain swim in ecstasy. Her moans soon turned into cries,

"OOHH INUYASHA! I'M GONNA CUMMMM!", she screamed out.

He felt his own orgasm building to a frenzied peak. Kagome's fingers knotted in his long locks as her body stiffened, signaling her release,

"AAAAAAAAA ... OOOOOOOOO ... YEEEEESSSSSSS ...", she cried out.

Inuyasha found it hard to pound into her as she squeezed her muscles. He loved how tight she became during her release. He felt his own release, like the ocean crashing over rocks, as he exploded his seed inside her,

"K ... K ... KAMI ... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!", he screamed out.

The act itself wasn't long but, it was very fulfilling. Inuyasha lowered his head to his mate's chest, spent and sweaty, trying hard to catch his breath. Kagome wrapped her arms around his head, kissing his sweaty bangs and forehead, tracing her tongue down his nose and finally stopping at his lips, pulling him into a passionate kiss. Inuyasha felt his body return to earth as he molded himself into her body, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her deeply, his tongue searching her tasty mouth.

He released her lips and gazed into her eyes,

"I love you so much, koshii.", he whispered.

Before she had a chance to respond, they heard someone clapping their hands behind them,

"Nice show, little brother."

Inuyasha jumped off his mate and stood up defiantly. Kagome quickly covered herself,

"SESSHOUMARU! WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU IN OUR HOUSE?", Kagome screamed.

"YOU JA ... ", Inuyasha's frustrated voice came out, "WHAT SHE SAID! WHY ARE YOU HERE, AS ... ID ... ARRGGGHH ... SESSHOUMARU?"

"You look truly scary, Inuyasha.", Sesshoumaru sarcastically remarked, eyeing his brother's naked body.

Inuyasha looked down at his naked form and quickly grabbed his yukata off the floor to cover himself. He recovered from his shock and, knowing he couldn't put down his brother, took a deep breath and calmly asked,

"What is it you want and why couldn't you wait outside?", his voice was calm but, edgy.

"I called you but, you were obviously too involved to hear me.", Sesshoumaru's eyes wandered back to Kagome's covered body,

"Don't look at her.", Inuyasha's voice held steady rage.

Sesshoumaru turned to walk out,

"Get the boy and meet me at the edge of the village.", his voice trailed off as he left.

--

Inuyasha and Shinta walked out to the edge of the village. Sesshoumaru turned to face them,

"You are easier on the eyes dressed, little brother.", he spat out.

"I'm sure you are as well.", Inuyasha remarked snidely back.

Shinta jumped in,

"What did you want, Uncle?", he asked.

Sesshoumaru's eyes fell on the boy. Inuyasha was shocked to see his face softened. His heart skipped a beat or two. Sesshoumaru was blood related to Shinta. He understood that meant that he, as well, was related to Shinta by blood but, his relation was more distant. Sesshoumaru was a direct line. Shinta's grandfather. Judging by Shinta's reaction to Sesshoumaru, he wasn't aware of this blood relation.

"I have come to bring you something.", Sesshoumaru started.

"Me? You've brought me something, Uncle?", Shinta's eyes grew wide with excitement.

Sesshoumaru produced a sword and sheath. He handed it to Shinta. Shinta took the gift and stared at it. The hilt was made of gilded gold and leather. The sheath was the same as Tessaiga's and Tenseiga's. Shinta unsheathed the sword in awe. The blade was made of the finest metals,

"This is the Aisusaiga. The Ice Shattering Fang. You must keep that sword on your hip at all times. It will keep your demonic blood from rising to the surface. I will leave it to your father to teach you its techniques.", Sesshoumaru explained, "I will take my Tenseiga back now."

Shinta ooh'd at his new sword as he removed Tenseiga from his hip and handed it to its rightful owner. Even Inuyasha was impressed by its design. Sesshoumaru turned to leave. As he started to walk away, Shinta called out,

"Thanks, Uncle."

Sesshoumaru seemed to ignore the comment as he continued to walk away. Inuyasha turned to Shinta,

"Go back to your mother.", he ordered him.

As Shinta ran off to show off his new blade, Inuyasha hurriedly caught up to his brother,

"So, is that it?", he called out to Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru stopped and turned around. Inuyasha caught up with him completely,

"You expected more, little brother?", he responded.

"You're not going to tell him who you are to him?", Inuyasha asked, his voice suspicious.

"He knows full well who I am to him. I am his uncle.", Sesshoumaru's voice was dry.

"Then, you mean to tell me, you have no desire to have him as your heir? You plan on leaving him with me and Kagome?"

"What would be the point? He is not my son ... he is your son. Plus, like his father, he is a lowly hanyou. He is not worthy to be my heir."

"Not worthy, huh? Sesshoumaru, I believe he is more worthy than you realize."

"Of course you would believe such a thing, seeing as you were born, and remain, an ignorant hanyou.", Sesshoumaru scoffed.

Inuyasha huffed,

"HMPH!"

Then his eyes widened with a realization,

"Wait! What did you just call me?"

"An ignorant, stupid hanyou.", his brother replied, haughtily.

"How did you do that? Because of Kagome's spell you shouldn't be able to ..."

Sesshoumaru actually smiled at Inuyasha,

"Do you think that your mate's measly spell would affect this Sesshoumaru for very long?"

With those last words, Sesshoumaru disappeared into a ball of light.

--

Returning home, Inuyasha walked quietly inside the hut,

"Daddy!", called Shiori, "Isn't Shinta's new sword awesome?", she said, excitedly.

He smiled as he picked her up,

"Yup! It sure is."

Kagome walked up to him,

"Inuyasha, we need to talk. Hey, what's wrong? You looked depressed."

"No. Pissed is more like it.", he commented, switching Shiori to his right arm so he could lift up Kanta.

"Why?", she asked.

"Sesshoumaru. He broke your spell. He was able to insult me."

"WHAT? How did he do that?", she wondered.

"I dunno. But he made the comment about your spells being weak against him."

Kagome crossed her arms and huffed,

"Oh REALLY? He said that, did he?"

"Yup."

"HMPH! Well, we'll see who has the last laugh. My spells weak. How dare he!"

"What was it you wanted to talk about, Kagome?", he pulled her thoughts back to her comment.

She sighed,

"I'm scared, Inuyasha. I really think we should go back to my era and destroy those demons."

Inuyasha shook his head,

"I'm tired of saving the world, Koshii. Geez, what about all those comic books that Shinta reads ... get Superman to save the world."

"Superman isn't real, Inuyasha."

"And humans say we aren't real. So there, I owe no human a thing.", Inuyasha walked around her,

Shinta came over to his mother,

"We can't destroy ALL the demons, mama. Some of them want to live in peace with humans. Just like here."

Kagome turned and watched Inuyasha's retreating form,

"You owe nothing to humans, Inuyasha?"

"You got it.", he responded quickly.

"Not even my mother, Souta and jii-chan?"

Inuyasha stopped instantly and cursed under his breath. How he hated it when she pulled on his conscience. After a moment, he turned to face her,

"When do we go?"

"Tomorrow morning.", she informed him, "I'll tell Sango we're leaving and ask her to watch the pups.", she turned and walked out the door of the hut.

Shinta watched his mother go before looking back at his father's defeated face,

'_HMPH! Dad, you are what the modern world calls pussy-whipped_.', he smiled inwardly at the thought.

--

The next morning, bright and early, Inuyasha, Kagome and Shinta returned to the modern era. As the bluish light faded, Kagome noticed instantly the first change,

"Where's the well house?", she remarked, looking up the well into a grayish sky.

"I would say burned up like the rest of the burning that's hitting my nose.", Inuyasha commented, rubbing his nose.

The three hopped out of the well and faced what could only be described as shear destruction,

"I was right to be afraid.", Kagome said, sadly, "The fighting hasn't stopped."

Looking around, Kagome noticed that the well house was indeed gone but, the storehouse, main house, the sacred tree and their house remained,

"Good. Most of it's still here.", she said.

"D-d-dad.", Shinta stuttered, "Do you feel it?"

Kagome followed Inuyasha's and Shinta's gazes. They were looking at their modern home,

"What is it?", she asked.

Inuyasha had taken a defensive position, his left hard on the sheath of Tessaiga, his thumb ready to flick the sword out of the sheath,

"I've felt that aura before.", Inuyasha said.

Shinta gulped,

"Me too. Just before I left to see the oyabun the last time. I felt something take hold of me. I felt it around the vase."

"Yea.", agreed Inuyasha.

"The vase? What do you two mean, the vase?", Kagome asked.

"Your vase is possessed.", Inuyasha explained.

"Possessed?", Kagome's breathed out.

The stillness was broken by a voice,

"SIS! You've returned!"

"Souta?", Kagome turned around and saw her brother, "You're back here? I thought we told you to leave Tokyo?"

"You did. But, Grandpa decided to have us return late one night to protect the shrine. He had forgotten that there was a fallout shelter built here after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That's where we are. Come on. Before we are noticed.", he motioned for them to follow.

Kagome and Shinta began to follow Souta. Inuyasha hung back, staring and growling softly at the house,

"Inuyasha.", Kagome called, "Let's go."

Reluctantly, he followed them into an old building and down a set of stairs. Souta opened a heavy, metal door,

"Mama! Grandma! Look who's back.", he called out, closing the door behind Inuyasha.

"Kagome! Inuyasha-kun! Shinta! I'm so glad to see you're safe.", her mother hugged them all.

"Mama. What's happening out there?", Kagome asked.

"I'll tell you what's happening, my girl.", her grandfather spoke up, "Hell has hit Tokyo! It's Armageddon!"

--

_A/N: So so sorry for the delay. I absolutely hate writer's block. Plus my laptop is being a pain in the a. I finally got this chapter the way I wanted it to be. Especially, since I decided to add to my story (Originally, Tokyo was going to be left alone after Shinta's rampage but, I came up with some new ideas so I decided to expand on the destruction. Yea, I'm pretty much gonna annihilate Tokyo. Just like I used to do in my Sim games! Ahhh... this should be fun!! CYA SOON! PROMISE! _


	14. Operation ANNIHILATE

My Fair Hanyou

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Fourteen

Operation - ANNIHILATE!

"Armageddon?", queried Inuyasha.

"The end of the world!", jii-chan told him.

"Aren't you being a little apocalyptic, old man?", Inuyasha stared at him.

Kagome looked at him,

"WHAT?", Inuyasha exclaimed.

"You know the word 'apocalyptic'?", she asked in shock.

"ARRRGHH!", he growled, as he looked around the room, "What is this place, anyway?"

"It's a fall-out shelter.", Kagome's mom explained, "And father isn't being apocalyptic. The entire country is under martial law."

"What's martial law and what's a fall-out shelter?", Inuyasha continued to question.

"Martial law means that there are curfews and the police and military are in complete control of everything we are allowed to do.", explained Souta.

Kagome then started to explain, "And, the fall-out shelter was built to protect us from harmful radiation should we be hit with an atom bomb. See, in the 1940's, Japan was in a major world war ..."

"WORLD war? You mean, not JUST in Japan?", Inuyasha looked confused.

"The entire country was at war with other countries ...", Kagome continued.

"Man!", Inuyasha grinned, "What did the rest of the world do to piss off Japan?"

"Actually, Japan pissed off the rest of the world.", Kagome's mom chimed in.

Inuyasha's jaw dropped, "Wha ...?"

"Japan always has been very war oriented. You know that from your era.", Kagome started to explain, "Well, they joined forces with other countries and started basically, bullying even more countries by trying to overtake them. Then the United States got involved when Japan dropped bombs on a US military base."

Inuyasha rested his chin on his palm as his elbow rested on his knee, "That sounded intelligent. How big is this United States?"

"Uhmm ... HUGE ... Japan is the size of one of its smaller states ... of which it has 50 of.", Kagome said.

"So, I assume they have a military large enough to defend those 50 states?", Inuyasha asked, dryly.

"Uhh ... yea."

"Then that IS stupid. So, why were these built? To protect people from the same types of bombs that Japan dropped on this other country?", he asked.

"Worse.", Kagome admitted.

"Yea.", agreed Souta, "The US had developed what was called the Hydrogen bomb. It's radioactive."

Inuyasha shook his head in confusion.

"Inuyasha,", said Kagome, "You remember So'unga's Dragon Twister?"

"Yea."

"Imagine that ... but, at least a hundred times worse."

Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock.

"Yea. When they dropped the bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima - buildings were disintegrated and people at ground zero were vaporized.", Souta told him.

"HOLY SHIT!", Inuyasha exclaimed.

"And those that didn't perish at ground zero became ill and died from radiation poisoning.", Kagome's mother said, sadness in her voice.

Inuyasha shook his head again, "I guess I shouldn't be shocked at what humans go through to destroy each other. How in the world did they ever evolve and survive to this era I will never understand."

"Actually, they say it probably was a good thing the US did what it did.", Kagome stated, "The US just wanted Japan to surrender but, the Prime Minister refused. So, after 4 years of war, the US flexed its military muscle and dropped the two bombs. They killed millions of Japanese but, they claim, that by shaming Japan into surrender, they saved millions more."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. He knew exactly how arrogant humans were since he felt the same arrogance at times. He looked around again,

"Well, obviously, Japan didn't know the bombs were coming and they only dropped two. Did the US keep threatening more bombs after the surrender? Is that why these were built?", Inuyasha asked.

"Sadly, no. These were built after the war.", said Kagome.

"After the war ended, the US and another country named Russia both had nuclear bombs. The US had one way of life that they believed was the best and Russia had a different view. Both were considered superpowers and it was said that the leaders of both countries were ready to bomb the other into oblivion. The rest of the world lived in fear of these two countries. That's why the shelters were created. To protect people from nuclear fall-out if the two countries ever decided to bomb each other.", explained Souta.

"Is it still the same way now? And how do they deliver the bombs from far away countries?", Inuyasha asked,

"No, thank goodness. The nuclear threat isn't as serious as it was before because Russia fell and cannot afford its weapons. The US is the only world superpower in military might. And they use warplanes to drop the bombs.", Kagome informed him.

The room was quiet for a while as everyone's thoughts focused on what was said. Finally, Shinta spoke up,

"Don't you think it's time to end the war that's outside right now?", he asked, hopefully.

"Yea.", agreed his father, "Let's go."

Inuyasha stood up followed by Kagome and Shinta,

"You make sure you're careful out there.", Kagome's mother said.

Souta stood up and went over to the door,

"I'm gonna go with you.", he informed them.

Kagome looked at him wide-eyed,

"What did you just say?", she asked him.

"I'm going with you.", he repeated, "I can help you."

"PFFT! How can you help us?", asked Inuyasha, "You're not a demon. You'll be a liability to us."

Souta stood up straight and tall,

"Things have changed since you were last here. I know my way around the cops. I know secret ways to get through the city.", Souta told them.

"Who says we were gonna sneak around?", Inuyasha sounded annoyed. He hated having to be covert.

"Because we're not going to get anywhere with just swords.", Shinta acknowledged.

Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each and then back at Sounta and Shinta,

"What do you mean by that?", Kagome asked.

"You'll see.", said Souta, "Let's go."

The four walked out of the building and back onto the shrine grounds. Before they departed the shrine, Shinta ran into their modern home. He soon returned packing three guns,

"SHINTA?", his mother's voice was in shock, "Since when do you own guns?"

"Had to. I was given them by my oyabun. These two are Uzis. This one is a mini-AK-47. Souta - I'll need ammo."

Inuyasha and Kagome stared at each other again,

"What's an ... Uzi? And that other thing ... an AK ...?", Inuyasha asked her,

"Nothing like the flintlock rifles, I'll say that much.", Kagome sighed.

"They're automatic weapons, dad. They fire rounds continuously until the bullet holder, or magazine, as it's called, is empty."

"Let's go.", urged Souta, "I know where to go."

Souta led them to the rear fence of the property and jumped over. The others followed. He led them down a small street and several alleyways before heading around to the front of a building. Seeing no cops around, he walked to the very front. The kanji read simply - "GUNS",

"I'm surprised there are no cops around.", Souta commented.

Inuyasha checked the door. It was locked,

"How do we get in?", he asked.

"Simple.", said Shinta, as he jumped through the glass, shattering it.

Kagome stared in shock again as Souta climbed through and Shinta shut down the alarm,

"Let's go you two, before they follow the alarm.", Souta insisted

As Kagome and Inuyasha climbed in, Kagome muttered,

"My son's a burglar!"

In the front of the store was lots of various styles of guns. The back of the store held clothing. Shinta and Souta eyed each other and grinned as they headed to the clothing. Kagome and Inuyasha were busy examining the weapons when the two young men returned. Kagome turned around and gasped, causing Inuyasha to look,

"TRENCH COATS AND SUNGLASSES?", she asked, loudly.

"What better to conceal the weapons and our faces?", asked Shinta.

Kagome just stared dumbstruck then shook her head,

"Do me a favor. When you enter The Matrix say hello to Keanu Reaves for me, okay, you Morpheus and Neo wannabes?"

Shinta and Souta giggled as Inuyasha stared at his wife,

"Wha ...?"

"Never mind.", Kagome waved her hand at Inuyasha.

"Hey, mom, there's clothes back there for you, too.", Shinta said to her, "You too, dad."

"I'll stick to the fire rat, thank you.", his father offhandedly commented.

"That type of armor won't work here, dad."

"It'll protect me from fire, which, if you haven't smelled, there's plenty of out there."

"Whatever.", Shinta shrugged him off.

Shinta and Souta started to gather automatic weapons and plenty of ammunition. Shinta was about to give a gun to his father when he turned around and saw his mother. He let out a long, low cat-call,

"WOW, Mom ... you are one hot mama!"

Inuyasha turned to look. Kagome was wearing a black, patent leather catsuit that hugged every line and curve. Her boots were calf high and had a 4 inch heel. The zipper on the front was opened enough to show a good bit of cleavage,

"Unfortunately, they didn't have a pair of boots with a shorter heel.", she remarked.

"My sister's channeling catwoman! COOL!", Souta exclaimed.

"Who?", asked Inuyasha.

"Never mind.", said Kagome.

Inuyasha walked up to her and whispered,

"Your nipples are showing. I don't like that. And zip that up farther. Why would you wear that ridiculous outfit anyway?"

"If the boys can look like gangsters, why can't I? Besides, it's more aerodynamic than my other outfit."

"Aero ... what?"

"Never mind.", she waved him off again, "No cops yet?"

"No. They must have not heard the alarm or ignored it.", Souta said to her.

"That's good.", Kagome acknowledged.

"I need to show you how to use the guns.", Shinta said, "I saw a target room in the back. Let's use it."

They entered the small firing range located in the back of the building. Shinta loaded an Uzi and showed his father how to hold it and how to fire it. Inuyasha lifted up his right arm, aimed it at the target and squeezed. The bullet wound up in the ceiling as Inuyasha landed up on his butt. Shinta and Souta giggled,

"Sorry, dad, I forgot to warn you about the recoil of the gun.", Shinta smirked.

"Thanks alot.", Inuyasha grumbled, as he stood up.

Kagome planted her feet about shoulder width apart and held the gun with both hands. She fired shots in rapid concession. She lost her aim after the first recoil but, quickly recovered and continued firing, absorbing the other recoils with her stance. From then on, her aim was straight and true as she empty a 50 round magazine into the target, obliterating it. Shinta, Souta and Inuyasha simply stared,

"How'd you do that?", Inuyasha asked, flabbergasted.

Reloading the gun, she replied, "Archery. Once you absorb the recoil, aiming is still aiming, no matter which weapon you are using."

"Cool! My sister's an assassin!", Souta remarked in awe.

Shinta looked at what they had,

"This should hold us for an hour or so.", he commented.

"Only an hour?", Kagome questioned.

"It takes about 4 shots in the right spot to kill some of these demons.", Souta explained, "I think we should grab all the ammo for these weapons."

Souta and Shinta armed themselves with guns in their holsters they picked up and every other conceivable niche they could find. Kagome grabbed a few holsters and filled them with guns and ammo before grabbing a trenchcoat and filling that up as well. Inuyasha took the Uzi and stuffed it down the the front of his obi. Kagome watched him,

"I'd move that over a bit if I were you.", she advised.

"Huh?"

She pointed at the barrel,

"Unless you want to lose the family jewels if that goes off accidentally, I'd move it to the side."

Getting her meaning, Inuyasha quickly moved it onto his right hip.

The group emptied the store of ammo and hurriedly departed from the rear of the building. Inuyasha and Shinta began sniffing, trying to ascertain where they should start first,

"Downtown is a hotbed of activity.", Shinta commented.

"Yea. I can smell a horde of demons in that direction. They definitely aren't hiding their stench, that's for sure.", Inuyasha said.

Souta took off,

"Let's go.", he called back.

Inuyasha watched him, amazed,

"What is it, Inuyasha?" asked Kagome.

"When did he get so heroic?", he asked, his voice full of shock.

"He had a good teacher.", she smiled at him, "Let's follow."

The quartet rushed to the downtown area. The air was filled with dark smoke and the stench of burning wood and flesh. Gunshots and screams could be heard in the distance. Picking up a clear scent of demons, Inuyasha led the way to their first battle. Through the burning, acrid cloud of smoke, the group managed to see the first group of demons,

"GODZILLAS?", Kagome asked, loudly.

"Huh?", Inuyasha looked at her, confused.

"Never mind.", she said.

Sure enough, about thirty feet in front of them, five giant lizard demons crushed buildings as they walked on them. Gunshots rang out, but the bullets merely bounced off their thick skin,

"They need armor piercing bullets.", Souta noted.

"Coming right up.", announced Shinta, as he popped a magazine into the Uzi he carried.

Inuyasha and Kagome just stared in disbelief as Shinta leaped high into the air and started firing an endless barrage of bullets, hitting the lizards dead on, dropping them like flies and crushing even more buildings. He landed softly beside his father, breathless,

"Perfect.", he announced.

"You _are_ an assassin.", his father commented.

Shinta just grinned,

"That wasn't a compliment.", his father remarked, dryly.

As the war raged, the group ended up getting separated from each other. Souta and Shinta found themselves on one side of town, while Kagome and Inuyasha found themselves on the other side. Both Inuyasha's and Shinta's noses were overwhelmed by the amount of demon scents they were tracking,

"I never expected to have so many demons in this era.", Inuyasha said, mostly to himself.

Confusion abounded in the once mighty city and Kagome feared that Tokyo would be wiped completely off the map. To Inuyasha's horror, she ran straight into the fire and brimstone of her hometown, firing shots at the beasts that towered above her. Inuyasha started to run after her, until the horrible stench of blood hit his sensitive nose,

"SHINTA!", he cried out.

He hesitated, trying to decide who he should follow after. Swallowing hard, he glanced quickly in the direction he last saw Kagome running off before leaping into the air after the scent of his son's blood. He had to admit to himself that it was the hardest decision he had ever had to make. He noticed that the humans had most of the demons occupied, so Inuyasha was able to follow his son's scent without distraction. As he leaped from building to building, he watched the futile efforts of the humans battling for their lives. It seemed the only humans gaining any headway were the ones using huge gray machines that ran over everything in their paths - and even that wasn't being entirely successful,

"They're doomed.", he muttered.

Shinta's scent ended at a nondescript building on the far edge of town. The front door bore a wooden sign announcing the name "Inagawa-kai". Inuyasha landed in front of a couple of men, armed with guns. The men pointed their weapons at him,

"Who are you?", one commanded.

"Another freak, I'd say.", said the other.

"WHERE'S MY KID?", Inuyasha demanded, "I KNOW HE'S IN THERE! LET ME THROUGH!"

The men laughed,

"Yea, right, like we'd ..."

The guard never finished. Inuyasha took them both out with a mean right hook,

"I don't have time to deal with your pathetic bullshit!", he offhandedly commented, as he pushed open the door.

He was about to call out Shinta's name but, stopped when voices reached his ears,

"Listen here, boy. You brought this scourge on us - how do we stop them?", came an older man's voice.

"IF YOU LET ME GO I'LL TAKE CARE OF THEM!", Shinta's voice yelled.

"How did you get a hold of all these?", came another distinct male voice.

"Does it matter?", Shinta responded back, an air of cockiness in his voice.

**SLAP!**

"You're lucky that's all you got, boy. Now, tell us what these things are? Are they demons like you?", asked the older man.

Inuyasha had been steadily creeping down the hall towards the voices. He didn't realize that a trigger wire had been placed across the floor until he felt it snap against his ankle,

'_SHIT_!', he mentally cursed himself.

In the room, the older man quietly directed his two goons to investigate the tripped wire as he continued to interrogate Shinta,

"You had better fess up to me NOW, boy or it'll be your life!", the older man spat in his face, a .357 clutched in his hand and aimed at Shinta's head,

Shinta stared at him defiantly,

"You don't scare me, Kakuji!", Shinta sneered.

The older man roared,

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME? NO ONE ADDRESSES ME BY THAT NAME! I AM YOUR OYABUN ..."

Shinta heard the click of the gun barrel and instinctively closed his eyes as the blast went off. He felt the hot blood splash on his face. He slowly opened his eyes,

'_I'm ... alive_?', he thought.

"Fucking bastard! I am Shinta's only oyaji."

Shinta turned his head to the doorway and saw his father lowering the gun to his side,

"Otou-san.", Shinta breathed a sigh of relief.

"You couldn't handle him? What kind of assassin are you?", Inuyasha spoke to him, jabbing the barrel of the gun into his obi.

"A tied up one.", Shinta explained.

Inuyasha slit the ropes easily with his claws,

"Pathetic.", was his only comment, "Let's go. I left your mother behind to save your ass."

"Right behind you.", Shinta said, as he followed his dad out the door and into the hallway.

He stared at the bloodied bodies of the guards and shivered. He was realizing how much he had underestimated his father's sheer physical strength,

"STOP DALLYING!", his father yelled.

Shinta quickly caught up to his dad in a dash and a leap to a crumbled building. Leaping to the top of the tallest building still standing, Inuyasha and Shinta surveyed the area,

"A couple of these giant lizard demons are down. That's good.", commented Inuyasha.

"Yea, but there's a horde of smaller demons doing just as much damage.", noted Shinta.

"Do you know where Souta is?", Inuyasha asked his son, lifting his head to sniff the air, "I've picked up your mother.", he spoke quickly.

Shinta sniffed,

"Yea. He's down there.", Shinta pointed to the street below.

"Your mother's not far. Go to Souta, I'll be back with your mama.", Inuyasha said, as he sped off.

Shinta landed beside Souta,

"There you are.", Souta said, relief in his voice, "These smaller demons are tougher than I expected. I unloaded a whole magazine into a group of them and they still continued to advance."

"I'm figuring these demons have adapted to modern weapons. Back in my time, these weapons would have dropped the lot of them.", Shinta told him.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!", came a loud voice behind them, "DROP YOUR WEAPONS NOW!"

Shinta and Souta turned and came face to face with a group of military men poised to shoot. Souta tried to protest,

"We're on your side, guys!"

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS OR WE'LL SHOOT!", came the command again.

"SHINTA!"

"I DON'T THINK SO!", Inuyasha landed in the middle of the military brigade and started swinging, easily knocking the men out.

"Shinta. Souta. Are you two okay?", Kagome landed and ran over to the young men.

"Yea, ma. We're fine.", said Shinta.

"Thanks to the perfect timing of Inuyasha.", agreed Souta.

Inuyasha walked up, rubbing his shoulder and shaking his arm,

"This is getting to be a real pain in my ..."

"Hey ... you ... you're not human!", a voice called from behind.

"ARRRGGGHH! Now what?", grumbled Inuyasha, as he, Kagome, Souta and Shinta faced the man who had called out to them.

"Are you a demon?", the young man asked.

"Who wants to know?", Inuyasha growled.

"Why did you attack those men?", the young man persisted.

"Why aren't you afraid of us?", Shinta asked back.

Suddenly, the young man began to morph into another being,

"He's a lizard.", commented Kagome.

"I'm a dragon.", he replied.

Inuyasha strutted over and gave the dragon a BONK on the head,

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?", the dragon cried out.

"INUYASHA!", Kagome scolded.

"SO ... are you a good guy or a bad guy?", Inuyasha asked, sarcastically, flipping off Kagome's scolding.

"I am fighting on the side of the humans. What about you? I heard you say you were on the humans side but, then you knocked them all out.", the dragon commented.

Souta spoke up,

"I told them we were on their side."

"Maybe so,", agreed Inuyasha, "But, they weren't about to back down and I refused to allow my kid to be shot."

"So, you are here to help the humans, then?", asked the dragon.

"Yes.", Kagome informed him, "Can you tell us what happened to cause this?"

"There's no time for that.", Inuyasha broke in, spinning around.

A group of demons had appeared in front of them from seemingly out of nowhere. The group barely had time to scatter as bullets and poison gas rained from their opponents,

"DAMMIT!", cried out Inuyasha, "KAGOME!"

He watched Kagome reappear from an alleyway, guns blazing. A few demons dropped before a slimy tentacle hit her from behind, slamming her into a car hard enough to send the car crashing into the side of a building. He ran over to her,

"KAGOME! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?", he knelt down beside her.

She shook off the blow and tried to steady her eyes,

"Damn! Bruce Willis must've had a double for those scenes. THAT HURT!"

Inuyasha's face looked dazed,

"WHA ?"

She looked up at him,

"Never mind."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

They both looked up to see Shinta deliver a one-two hit to a couple of lead demons - first with a martial arts kick and flip and then with bullets - before landing safely beside his parents, panting hard. Three more demons fell to his hand,

"Cool. A Chow Yun Fat move.", his mother approved.

"PFFT! Get real, mama. Jet Li!"

Inuyasha's "WTF" face was priceless,

"HUH?"

"NEVER MIND!", Kagome and Shinta shouted in unison.

The dragon came running over to them,

"The demons are pushing the humans back. We need to do something now. Please, half-demon!"

Inuyasha stood up,

"I ain't your savior!", he muttered.

Kagome stood up next to him,

"Yea, well, you've just been anointed.", she replied.

Inuyasha grumbled something under his breath then, grabbed the gun out of his obi and tossed it,

"Fuck this shit! If you want me to stop this I'll do it MY WAY! Got it?!", he looked at Kagome intently, as he withdrew Tessaiga, transforming it.

"NO! Inuyasha! You'll level the whole city!", she protested.

"DON'T TRY TO STOP ME KAGOME! I'M TIRED OF THIS SHIT!"

With that, Inuyasha leaped high into the air and ascertained the positions of the demons before raising Tessaiga high in the air,

"WIND SCAR!", he screamed.

The dragon covered his head from falling debris as Shinta, Souta amd Kagome stared at the path of destruction leading away from them to the left. Souta's eyes were wide while Shinta just shook his head. Kagome's face simply read "Oh shit!"

"WHAT WAS THAT?", the dragon cried out.

"My dad's way of taking care of business.", Shinta told him, "Kill first - ask questions later."

"Inuyasha has serious anger issues.", Souta commented, softly.

Kagome merely sighed,

"Always has to play the hero."

"Uh ... mom?", asked Shinta.

"Yes?', she responded.

"Look at dad.", he told her.

Kagome looked up and cringed,

"DAMN! I'm in heat, too!"

Inuyasha had clearly transformed into a demon.

"I guess we're having another pup.", Shinta grinned.

Inuyasha landed and was lining up to send another blast in front of them. Some demons were beginning to run but, the blast had raised the curiosity of many more demons that had begun to gather. Shinta took a deep breath, waiting for the next blast, when he felt it. He looked down at his hip. His sword trembled in its sheath,

"Aisusaiga?", Shinta's voice was soft and reverent.

He removed the sword from its sheath and the blade transformed into a beautiful silver katana. He felt power flow from within the sword into his body. He didn't know why or how - he just knew,

"DAD! MOVE!", he yelled.

Inuyasha turned and stared at the sight of Shinta and the sword. Seeing Shinta raise the sword, Inuyasha quickly moved away,

"AISUSAIGA!", Shinta called out.

The hordes of demons gathered in front were vaporized by the powerful blast. Shinta merely stared at what had been in front of them,

"Cool sword!", commented Souta.

"Can you do it again?", asked Kagome, hoping it wasn't a one time thing, like when Inuyasha first used the Wind Scar, "It doesn't cause as much damage as the WIND SCAR!", she yelled out the last part to her husband, standing there in his demonic glory and analyzing the sword's blast.

Shinta felt the pulsing again and sniffed the air. Picking up the scent of more demons, he jumped into the air and fired off another blast from the sword. Kagome's hope for less destruction was dashed when Inuyasha joined his son in eradicating the demons. The city now lay in complete ruins before them. Kagome didn't even want to imagine the death toll.

"We should go.", Shinta urged, landing beside his mother and Souta.

"Hey, where's that dragon?", asked Souta.

"Dunno.", said Shinta, "Let's go, before the humans come after us."

Before he had finished his sentence, Inuyasha had swooped down, grabbed Kagome and took off,

"Where are they going?", Souta asked, hopping on Shinta's back.

"I would assume back to the house.", Shinta commented, as he leaped into the air, "I'm sure my dad has some unfinished business to attend too."

--

A/N: "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life ...". Sorry about the long delay. Life just wasn't conducive to writing and then I needed to get re-Inuyasha-ized. You can kind of call this a filler chapter - I came up with it while watching "Live Free or Die Hard" and it didn't really fit into the story so I had to tweak it a bit. I just had this vision of "I want to totally destroy Tokyo". The next chapter will get us back into the story.


	15. The Vase of Time

My Fair Hanyou

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

Chapter Fifteen

The Vase of Time

Inuyasha landed clumsily on the shrine grounds and wobbled in his stance, dropping Kagome hard on her butt

"OUCH! INUYASHA! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?", Kagome cried out, as she rubbed her behind.

She didn't receive an answer. She looked up and saw Inuyasha holding his head and stumbling around,

"Uh ... Inu - yasha?", Kagome stood up and walked towards him, putting her hands on his shoulders to steady him, "What's the matter?"

He didn't answer. She lifted his bangs and looked at his face. His face dripped in sweat and his eyes were glassy. His demonic blood had faded and his face had a pasty, white sheen,

"INUYASHA! ANSWER ME!', she cried out, fear in her voice.

"Mama?"

Shinta landed and Souta climbed off,

"What's wrong?", asked Souta.

"Something's the matter with Inuyasha.", she told him.

"DAD!", Shinta shook him gently, knocking him off balance.

Shinta and Kagome eased him to the ground,

"What's wrong with him?", Kagome wondered aloud.

Kagome began examining Inuyasha. On his back, under the fire rat hitoe, she received a clue,

"What is this?", she wondered, pulling something out to look at it, "A claw?"

Souta stared,

"A claw from one of those demons, perhaps?", he mentioned.

"I didn't know he got hit.", said Shinta, taking the claw from his mother to examine it, "It's a dragon claw."

"A DRAGON?!", exclaimed Kagome, "From that dragon we met?"

"Probably.", mused Shinta.

"But, why would he attack Inuyasha?", asked Souta, "He said he was helping the humans."

"It's not hard to lie.", mused Shinta.

Kagome examined Inuyasha's back,

"The wound is deep. He's losing a lot of blood. Souta, get mama and jii-chan as well as the first aid kit. HURRY!", she urged.

Souta disappeared to the other side of the shrine and the fallout shelter,

"Help me lay your father down, Shinta.", Kagome told him.

After laying Inuyasha down, Kagome removed his hitoe and yukata. She gasped at Inuyasha's skin,

"His skin has purple splotches all over it. And, his breathing is shallow and rapid."

Trying to think fast, she said,

"It might be better to take your father into the house. He may be more comfortable there."

"I don't think so, mom.", Shinta quietly said.

"Huh?", she turned to look at her son and saw him facing the house, "What's the matter, Shinta?"

"Can't you feel it, mama?"

Kagome stood up slowly and trained all her senses on the house. She shook her head,

"I feel nothing out of the ordinary."

"The demonic aura is ..."

Shinta's voice dropped,

"Shinta?", Kagome looked at her son.

Shinta was staring straight ahead and seemed oblivious to the world around him. Slowly, he started walking towards the house,

"Shinta! Where are you going?", Kagome stood in front of him, but he continued to walk.

"Kagome!", cried her mother.

"What's going on, girl?", cried jii-chan.

"I don't know. Inuyasha was apparently hit by a dragon claw and now Shinta said something about a demonic aura and he's heading into the house ..."

Her words faded as she followed her son into the house with her family behind her. He walked straight to the large vase that Inuyasha had bought for Kagome. Kagome stared at the vase but her senses still picked up nothing unusual,

"What is going on?", she wondered.

Shinta stopped at the vase and his hand reached out to the top of the opening. Kagome and her family watched in horror as Shinta's image wavered and then vanished into the vase,

"SHINTA!", Kagome screamed, as she ran over to the vase and looked in, "Nothing but blackness.", she quietly stated.

"Kagome!", Souta's voice caught her attention.

Kagome spun around. On the floor, next to the vase, lay Shinta's body,

"SHINTA!", Kagome screamed again.

She fell to her knees and tried to grab her son's body but her hands merely passed through it,

"WHAT?", she cried out.

"It's an illusion.", Souta remarked.

Kagome was busy staring at her hands when her mother's voice broke her thoughts,

"Inuyasha-kun!"

Kagome stood up and spun around. Sure enough, Inuyasha stood behind her. Only this time, his appearance had altered dramatically,

"You're human!", Kagome breathed.

Inuyasha's hair was black and his eyes, while still glassy, were a violet shade. His face remained sweaty and pasty-white and his body was covered with crusty-sores that were bluish-purple. Like Shinta, Inuyasha was unaware of his surroundings. His hand lifted up and touched the vase,

"INUYASHA! DON'T TOUCH IT ...", Kagome screamed out as she headed for him.

It was too late. Inuyasha's image disappeared into the murky depths of the vase. Kagome tried to reach into the vase as tears rolled down her cheeks,

"INUYASHA! SHINTA! COME BACK!"

Kagome's mother leaned down,

"His body is here as an illusion as well.", she noted sadly.

Kagome felt her world breaking. What was this vase?

"Hey, sis?", Souta said, quietly.

She wiped her eyes,

"What is it?"

"Lemme see that claw."

"Claw? What claw?", asked jii-chan.

Kagome handed the claw to Souta,

"It's a dragon claw we found embedded in Inuyasha's back.", Kagome said to him, "That's what started this."

Souta took the claw and peered at the vase,

"That's not a Japanese dragon claw.", her grandfather stated, emphatically.

"Look.", Souta remarked.

Kagome, her mother and grandfather looked at where Souta was pointing,

"It's the dragon we saw earlier today.", Kagome breathed, looking at the images on the vase,

"I knew it!", said her grandfather, "That's a Chinese dragon claw!"

Kagome stood up and peered into the vase,

"So, this is a portal to somewhere in China?", she wondered aloud, as tears streamed down her cheeks,

'_Inuyasha. Shinta. What happened to you_?'

--

_In the Feudal Era ..._

"LORD SESSHOUMARUUUUUUUU!', Jaken called out, as he searched far and wide, "M'LORD WHERE ARE YOU?", '_Oh where could he have gone_?', Jaken wondered, "MY LORD! PLEASE COME BACK!"

--

Sesshoumaru stood in the foyer of a large, ornate room. He stared at the painted images of his mother's clan on the walls, complete with the half moon symbols representing the lands on the continent where his mother hailed from,

"My son."

Sesshoumaru turned. His mother stood atop a set of three steps dressed in flowing silken robes adorned with storks and peonies. She descended the steps slowly,

"Where is Rin, mother?", he asked.

"She is resting. The ceremony took a lot out of her.", his mother seated herself on the gilded throne, "Honestly, Sesshoumaru, why would you choose a weak, pitiful human as your mate?"

"If the ceremony was successful, then she is no longer a human. And, you are not aware of her strength, mother.", he responded back to her, a tinge of contempt in his voice.

She waved her hand at him,

"Yes, yes. She is now a demon. I cannot believe I agreed to alter her that way."

"You have the power of the Meidou-seki. You were the most obvious choice to perform the ceremony. The new Housenki's jewels would take too long to create, since he is still an apprentice.", her son reminded her.

"Ahhh, yes. Humans have such a short lifespan. I guess waiting a hundred years was out of the question now, wasn't it?", her voice dripped with ridicule.

Sesshoumaru merely gave his mother a look that actually sent shivers down her spine. She readjusted herself on the seat to compensate for her uncomfortableness,

"How long will she be resting?", he asked her.

"I do not know, Sesshoumaru. I have never performed this ceremony before. As it was, I had to call upon the ancestors to assist me with the spells. She will need to be fed some more of the potion and I will have to use the Meidou on her at least twice more. By then, she should be fully demon and starting to recover. It could be a week or two before she is ready."

"Fine. I leave her to you, mother."

"You trust me that much, Sesshoumaru?"

He shot her another death glare causing her to rearrange her clothes and look away,

"I will check on her tomorrow."

Finishing his statement, Sesshoumaru disappeared. An imp waddled into the room,

"M'Lady, is there anything you need?"

"Just something to force common sense into my son. HMPH! A former human as the wife of a daiyoukai - Sesshoumaru, at least your father had the decency to produce you with a proper demoness before mating with that ... that human creature."

She walked out of the room leaving behind a very confused vassal.

--

The wind blew fiercely through the mountains,

"Oh my. I don't like the feel of this wind.", commented the old demon, his face full of worry.

"Toutousai, what's wrong?", Myouga bounced up and down on the swordsmith's shoulders.

"This wind is ominous, Myouga. The aura surrounding it is heavy with demonic energy."

Myouga shivered,

"I -I - I think I'll visit Master Inuyasha ...", Myouga began to jump down.

The area to the north of them roared to life in a tornado of fire. Myouga screamed,

"AAHHHHHHHHH!"

Toutousai jumped back and shielded his eyes,

"WHAT IS THAT?", Toutousai screamed.

--

"Hirohito! What do you suppose it means?!", cried a villager.

The village elder eyed the tornado of fire in the distance,

"I have not a clue.", he spoke, his voice wavering.

Villagers stood and stared at the sight unfolding to the northeast,

"My dearest! Whatsoever could it mean?", asked a young woman.

"I don't know, Juliet.", said Yoshito/Miroku, '_But, why do I sense a demonic aura? Normal people cannot sense such an aura_.', he thought to himself.

"THE TORNADO IS EXPANDING!", screamed a villager, "WE MUST FLEE FOR OUR LIVES!"

Juliet hid her face in her lover's kimono and began to cry,

"Yoshito, what do we do?"

Villagers began running out of the village in an effort to escape from whatever was causing the tower of flames. Yoshito grabbed his lover's hand and started to flee. Arriving near the edge of the village, Juliet stopped,

"Yoshito! Do you hear that?"

Yoshito stopped and listened. Over the din of screams he could hear an audible child's cry,

"MAMA! MAMA WHERE ARE YOU?"

Yoshito had Juliet wait beside a hut while he entered the throng of fleeing villagers. On the ground, nearly being trampled, was a young girl about 3 years old. He quickly whisked her up and got her to safety with Juliet,

"Here - take her. We need to get out of here. That thing is getting closer.", he urged her.

"Right.", she agreed, as they joined the mass exodus.

--

Villagers gathered around the demon slayer,

"Lady Sango, where is Lady Kagome?", cried a woman.

"We are doomed!", moaned another.

"We need Lady Kagome's powers.", clamored yet another.

Sango was outfitted in her demon slayer clothing. She could sense the intense demonic aura surrounding the fiery tornado,

"Kai!", she called to Kagome and Inuyasha's next oldest son, "You kids are the only ones able to pass through the well. You must retrieve your parents."

Kai gulped hard. His sisters and brother clung to him out of fear. His breathing became rapid and he felt sick but, he knew what he had to do,

'_I can't let you down, father_.', he thought to himself, as he willed himself to remain strong, "Izayoi. Let's go."

"Go?", she questioned.

"We're all able to pass through the well. We'll be safer there while mama and dad take care of whatever this is. Come on!"

The children fled the village and headed to the bone-eaters well.

--

Sesshoumaru eyed the tornado in the distance warily,

'_That aura ... I have never sensed anything like it before_.', he thought.

"LORD SESSHOUMARUUUU! MY LORD? WHERE ARE YO ...oh, m'lord ... there you are.", Jaken's voice trembled in fear.

Sesshoumaru paid no attention to him,

"My lord. What is that tornado of fire? Where did it come from?", Jaken asked, nervously.

"MY LORD!"

Sesshoumaru turned around slowly,

'_My mother's guards_.', Sesshoumaru's mind realized.

"My lord. We regret to inform you ... your mother ...", the demon guards began.

Sesshoumaru squinted his eyes. His sense of smell told him of their fear. As Jaken grabbed a hold of his clothes, he turned around and raced towards his mother's palace. Arriving at the front, he noticed the castle glowed with a sinister evil. Entering, he saw demons sprawled everywhere, seemingly dead. Searching the castle, he found his mother on the floor of the room that held Rin. Neither seemed to be alive,

'_MOTHER! RIN_!'

Sesshoumaru reached them and tried to touch their bodies but, his hands merely went through them,

"What happened to them?", Jaken spoke in a whisper.

Sesshoumaru sniffed deeply. The scents that surrounded him were unfamiliar and extremely offensive. Expanding his search of the castle, he found nothing to clue him in to what was happening. Until he entered his mother's throne room. The wall murals depicting his mother's ancestors glowed brightly and gave off some of the distinctive scents he had been picking up. He could feel the anger rise withing him. He did not like riddles. He clenched his right fist and started to growl when, suddenly,

'_TENSEIGA_?'

He felt the sword tremble on his hip. Removing the sword from its sheath he stared at it,

"YOU WANT TESSAIGA?"

"HUH?", asked Jaken.

Sesshoumaru turned,

"Let's go, Jaken."

"Er ... right.", Jaken hopped onto his master.

--

Sesshoumaru landed in the middle of Inuyasha's village. Here the fire from the tornado seemed to grow hotter and wilder. Most of the village had cleared out by the time he arrived and his nose told him that who he was looking for was not there,

'_Did you run, Inuyasha_?', he thought.

"Lord Sesshoumaru."

"It's Kohaku, my lord.", said Jaken.

"Where is Inuyasha?", Sesshoumaru went straight to the point, as always.

"He's not here. He's in Lady Kagome's time. Kai and the others went to retrieve them but, they haven't returned."

"How do I get to where they are?", Sesshoumaru asked.

"Uhhh ... through an old well at the end of the village.", Kohaku told him, not sure if he was supposed to or not.

"An old well?", Sesshoumaru asked.

Kohaku led Sesshoumaru and Jaken to the old bone-eaters well,

"They travel through this. It's a time portal.", Kohaku explained.

Jaken jumped up on the lip of the well,

"It looks like nothing but an ordinary old well, if you ask me. Are you sure of this, Kohaku?"

"Positive. I've watched them do it. ", Kohaku answered.

Sesshoumaru stared down the well for a moment before looking down at his left hip again and the quivering Tenseiga,

'_Why do you desire to be near Tessaiga_?', he mentally asked his sword.

Without so much as another word, Sesshoumaru leaped into the well and disappeared.

--

Sesshoumaru emerged from the well into what could only be described as a war zone. As in the Feudal Era, a whirling tornado of fire was present here as well. Further examining the destruction, he wasn't surprised to sense the remnants of the Wind Scar. He was surprised at one scent that hit his nose,

'_The Aisusaiga performed for you, boy_?', he thought, surprised at how fast Aisusaiga had accepted Shinta as its master.

Following the other scents, he walked into the entrance of the house in the back of the property. This house, also, was filled with intense demonic energy. His eyes panned to the floor. The bodies of Kagome, the children, an elderly human man, an older human woman and a younger human male lay seemingly lifeless on the floor. He walked further in and saw Inuyasha's human body and Shinta's body laying next to an ancient vase. He touched Kagome's body and realized that she was still flesh. When he tried to touch Shinta's and Inuyasha's bodies, his hand passed right through, just like with his mother and Rin.

He then turned to examine the vase. He easily deducted that the vase was from the mainland by the decorations. Touching it, he felt an overwhelming demonic aura surround him. As he stood up to examine the vase further, he felt a sharp jab in his upper back. He reached around and managed to grab whatever had attacked him. Yanking it out of his skin, he felt his blood soak his garments,

'_A claw_?', he wondered.

He looked again at the vase. This time, he moved closer and examined the opening. He could feel the pull of something unseen. Tenseiga vibrated wildly. Sesshoumaru reached his hand out and felt himself being pulled inside the vase ...

As he disappeared, a groggy Kagome wondered if she really saw what she thought she saw,

'_Sesshoumaru_?'

--

Sesshoumaru found himself lying flat on a surface of dirt when he opened his eyes. He felt his head spin dizzily as he tried to figure out where he was. Sitting up carefully, he saw he was in a courtyard strewn with bellflowers. Trying to maintain a shred of dignity, he stood up and started walking. Ahead of him stood a grand castle on a scale he had never seen in person before. Military flags surrounded the castle announced the name of the emperor as "Yuanzhang".

As he continued to look around, he ascertained from the clothing of those he saw that he had somehow traveled to China. He started walking up towards the castle when he was halted by guards, who spoke in a language unfamiliar to him. He ignored them and continued walking. When the guards stood in front of him, their spears aimed at his chest, he merely closed his eyes and said,

"MOVE!"

The language barrier was evident as the guards looked at each other confused,

"I SAID - MOVE!", Sesshoumaru repeated.

The guards stood their ground and shoved their spears at him. More guards appeared with swords raised. Behind them, even more guards appeared wielding bows and arrows. The troops easily numbered a few hundred thousand men. An order was commanded that could only be interpreted as "ATTACK". Sesshoumaru finished the attack easily with his vine whip attack, killing everyone in his path,

"FOOLS!', he muttered.

"Beautiful, my brother, beautiful!", cheered a voice behind him, followed by hand clapping, "Just what I would expect from a demon prince."

Sesshoumaru turned the face the voice, which he understood clearly. The man wore a silken robe and pants colored a brilliant red with shoes similar to the stylr worn by Sesshoumaru. His mustache was thin and long and his thin beard trailed from below his lower lip to his shoulders. He had a huge smile on his face and his eyes danced merrily. He held his arms akimbo on his hips. Sesshoumaru's nose informed him that this man was not human,

"Who are you?", Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he eyed the strange man, "And, why have you summoned me here?"


	16. Reincarnated Souls

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

**Chapter 16**

**Reincarnated Souls**

"_Kagome? Why were you crying?", Inuyasha weakly asked._

"_In the other room?", replied Kagome, "I thought … I thought that you were gonna die."_

"_You cried for me. Shed tears for me.", he said to her, his eyes closed, his voice weak, "Kagome. If it's not too much trouble, may I lie on your lap?"_

Kagome's mind stirred, spinning wildly out of control,

"_Inuyasha_", she thought.

Her eyes flew open with sudden clarity,

"INUYASHA!", she screamed out.

She started to stand, but fell back onto her buttocks and held her head,

"What a headache.", she moaned.

She felt the strange wind and heat surround her and she looked up and studied her surroundings. The tornado of fire amongst the debris of Tokyo. Her mother, grandfather and brother laying unconscious around her along with her other children,

"Kai! Izayoi! Why …?"

Her eyes landed on the illusions of her husband and eldest son. She crawled quickly over to them as her mind became even more clear,

"Sesshoumaru!"

Kagome stood slowly and walked to the vase. Suddenly, she felt the evil aura she remembered Shinta talking about,

"Sesshoumaru disappeared in here just like Shinta and Inuyasha.", she said to herself, "But, his body is not here as an illusion. What can that mean?", she wondered aloud.

She hesitantly touched the rim of the vase. She felt herself being pulled in. She started to try to fight the invisible force, but decided against it, allowing herself to be swallowed up by the vase.

* * *

_"Who are you?", Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he eyed the strange man, "And, why have you summoned me here?"_

The strange man laughed a hearty laugh,

"Ahh, my brother, you do not recognize me? I guess not. It has been many a millenia since we last met."

"Brother, you say?", Sesshoumaru asked suspiciously, "You are not this Sesshoumaru's relation."

The man waved his hand as if to dismiss the statement,

"No, no. Your name is not … what did you call yourself again?"

"Sesshoumaru." came the curt reply.

"Se – shou – maru?", the man sounded out, "Spifffff. So Japanese. No, my brother, you are the great and terrible Chiyou … at least you used to be before you were reincarnated as … this.", the man wagged his arm up and down in front of Sesshoumaru.

"I know nothing of this Chiyou person you speak of nor do I care to know. What I do want to know is why I was brought here and if you are responsible for what happened to my mother and Rin?"

"That demoness is your mother?", the odd man queried, "Hmmm. No wonder I smelled your soul amongst her flesh. What I cannot figure out is why I could smell your soul amongst those others ..."

"Smelled my soul?", Sesshoumaru asked him.

"Yes. I can smell souls. I have been searching for yours brother for ages. Every time I would get close to your new incarnation that incarnation would die and the Wheel of Reincarnation would be active again. Your soul is most troublesome indeed."

Sesshoumaru quickly closed the gap between him and the strange man, grabbing his neck and lifting him off the ground,

"I will ask only once more.", Sesshoumaru's eyes squinted, "Who are you and why am I here?"

The man struggled in vain, then relaxed.

"Calm yourself, my brother. I am but your younger brother, Xiu Yang and I have brought you here to restore your soul to your former body."

Sesshoumaru dropped the man and he landed on his butt,

"I have no desire to have my soul removed and placed in another vessel. You are not my brother and I am not Chiyou, as you claim. I am Sesshoumaru. I demand you take me to my mother and Rin at once."

"But, brother, you are a great and powerful demon in our lands. Don't you remember any of that?"

Sesshoumaru started to answer,

"Do not call me your brother again or I will ..."

A voice broke his thoughts,

"Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru turned on his heel quickly at the voice,

'_Kagome_.', he thought, "Where did you come from?", he asked the woman.

Xiu Lang stared at the woman in disbelief before falling to his knees and bowing,

"My Lady.", he spoke, reverently.

Kagome stared at the scene in front of her,

'_Not now_.', she sighed to herself.

Sesshoumaru looked at Xiu Lang and back at Kagome. He noticed her Triforce was glowing softly,

'_So. She's a deity in China as well_.', he thought.

Kagome sighed a little louder,

"Get up, little man.", she admonished.

Xiu Lang stood up but kept his head lowered,

"Chang – E. You have returned. But … but why are you here on earth and not on the moon?", he stammered.

"Who?", Kagome queried, "Never mind. I am not this Chang-E or whoever. Sesshoumaru, what is going on? Where is Inuyasha and Shinta?", her voice wavered but the anger was evident.

Sesshoumaru merely turned his back to the woman and faced Xiu Lang. The weird looking man stared at Sesshoumaru,

"You … you disregarded an order from a goddess? Just what sort of creature are you in your new lands?"

"ARRRRGHHH!", Kagome growled, "Sesshoumaru! Don't you turn away from me.", her body glowed with anger and the Triforce crackled with energy, "WHERE IS MY HUSBAND AND MY SON, DAMMIT!"

Sesshoumaru turned his head slightly and eyed her from the corner of his eyes,

"It is not me you should be asking that question of, Kagome. But, rather, him.", Sesshoumaru pointed to Xiu Lang, who trembled at the sight of Kagome. Staring at the sight in front of him, Xiu Lang wondered what wrath he might have brought amongst himself by bringing the soul of his long dead brother back from its reincarnation. He had no idea Chiyou's reincarnated soul was partnered with the great Moon Goddess,

"I … ,", he gulped and stammered, "I think I know what you want, great goddess."

Kagome shot him a nasty look, "I am NOT a goddess. Well, not technically."

"But … your powers. The Triforce ...", he stammered.

Kagome looked down at her pendant then back at the strange man. She decided to go with the flow. Anything to get Inuyasha and Shinta back,

"Who are you?", she asked the man.

"Xiu Lang, your humbled servant, Chang-E."

"Fine. Xiu Lang, Can you tell me what is going on here?", she asked, calming herself down.

"I … I was searching for the soul of my long dead demon prince brother, Chiyou, which resides in this demon,", he motioned to Sesshoumaru, "I seemed to have acquired a few extra souls in the process because I could smell Chiyou among them.", he explained.

"A FEW extra souls?", Kagome queried as she stepped forward and Xiu Lang stepped back in fear.

"It seems he also brought my mother and Rin here in the process.", Sesshoumaru added.

Kagome looked at her brother-in-law in disbelief,

"Okay. Your mother I can understand. She bore you. Inuyasha is your half-brother and Shinta is your grandson. I get that. How does Rin fit into this? She's human."

Sesshoumaru just stared straight ahead. He knew what she was asking …

_**FLASHBACK~**_

"_Lord Sesshoumaru, look what I've found.", Rin giggled in delight as she picked up a small baby robin, "Poor thing. I need to return you to your nest."_

_Sesshoumaru watched as the young lady quickly scaled the tree and returned the baby robin to its nest. He was surprised at how agile she was. But, then her time in the human village had been spent learning the trade of the demon slayer._

"_Lord Sesshoumaru?", she called out again, as she landed nimbly on her feet, then_

"_CRACK!"_

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!", came Rin's anguished screams._

"_SWISH!"_

_Sesshoumaru's deadly claws destroyed the rogue panther demon that had swiped its claws at Rin. He rushed to her side. She lay on the ground, her torso torn wide open, the odor of her blood filling his nostrils, her pain filling his heart,_

"_L-lord Sess … shoumaru.", her voice was wavering, her eyes were open and staring into space but not seeing. He cursed himself … how did he miss the scent of the panther demon?_

_Rin gulped deeply and reached her hand up, searching for his face. He leaned into her so she could touch him,_

"_Don't … forget about me, please ...", her voice was barely a whisper as her breathing grew shallow. Her hand slowly returned to the grass as she drew her last breath._

_His eyes widened in fear,_

"_NO!", his mind screamed inside, "Rin!"_

_He stood up and saw her blood on his garments. Anger and rage welled up inside him and he lashed out at the trees that stood around them, felling them to the ground. He walked over to the panther demon and saw a glowing orb. He reached down and picked up the purplish ball. Once the ball was in his hand, the demon's scent began filling his nostrils,_

"_This ball … hid its demonic aura.", he thought._

_He put the ball inside his garments and turned. Picking up Rin's lifeless body, he disappeared to the West. Landing out of the blue sky, his feet fell onto a set of marble steps. He walked up and into the marble castle. An imp greeted him,_

"_My lord … wha? A human?"_

"_Mind your business and retrieve my mother.", Sesshoumaru ordered._

"_I am here, my son."_

_Sesshoumaru turned and faced her. She scowled at him,_

"_Who is this dead human you bring to me?", she stated flatly as she took a sniff of the air, "HMPH! That human girl child who traveled with you, eh? Grown up and dead again, is she? Humans are so fragile.", she waved her hand in ambivalence, "I suppose you want me to **revive **her again?", her voiced dripped with disgust over the word "revive."_

"_You will do as I say, mother.", Sesshoumaru's voice was firm, yet almost scolding._

"_YOU are telling ME, your MOTHER, what to do?", she looked at her son with anger, "How dare ..."_

"_MOTHER!", Sesshoumaru broke her sentence, "You WILL revive Rin or I will ..."_

"_Kill me? HMPH! I suppose you would kill your mother. Anyway, I cannot revive her."_

_Sesshoumaru's eyes widened, _

"_What do you mean? You have the Meidou-seki ..."_

"_And like the Tenseiga it can only be used once to retrieve souls from the dead. I have already used it on this girl. It cannot be done again."_

_Sesshoumaru's eyes lowered to the form of the lifeless girl as he thought,_

_'Rin. What have I done to you?'_

"_Is there no other way?", his voice was soft._

_His mother stared at the scene in front of her. The last time she had ever seen her son's face this way he was but a small child and mourned over the death of a beloved pet,_

"_What is she to you, my son?", she asked, hesitantly._

"_Why does that matter?", he responded, "Is there no other way, mother! ANSWER ME!"_

_She hung her head,_

"_No other way ...", she started, "That would keep her human, anyway.", her voice was tinged with sadness._

_Sesshoumaru looked up, surprised,_

"_What do you mean?"_

_His mother sat down on her throne and kept her eyes away from her son,_

"_It is an old ceremony. Very old. It would require your blood to re-energize her. She would no longer be human. She would eventually become demon."_

"_Demon?", Sesshoumaru queried, "A full-blooded demon?"_

"_Yes.", came the reply_

_Sesshoumaru looked back at Rin's lifeless body,_

"_Do it.", he stated, firmly._

"_Sesshoumaru, what is she to you, I ask again?"_

"_If she becomes full demon, I will take her as my mate."_

"_My son … you cannot ...", his mother protested, "I will not perform the ceremony if you insist on that."_

"_**YOU WILL DO THE CEREMONY, MOTHER**!", Sesshoumaru's voice grew in intensity, "**DO IT**!"_

_**END FLASHBACK~**_

"Hello? Sesshoumaru? Hey, you. Come back to reality.", Kagome's voice broke into his thoughts.

Sesshoumaru looked at her and stated,

"Rin had died at the hand of a panther demon. My mother was reviving her using my blood.", he stated simply.

"Oh.", stated Kagome, not really understanding she turned her attention back to the strange, little man,

"Okay, Xiu Lang. Take us to these, quote other souls you have.", she ordered him.

Xiu Lang looked at her_, _still fearful of her past presence,

"Follow me.", he spoke softly.

The three of them walked along the pathway that led into a small castle. The demon took them through several rooms before stopping in a small, windowless, candle illuminated room. Lying on the floor were Inuyasha, Shinta and Rin all in human appearance and Sesshoumaru's demoness mother.

"INUYASHA! SHINTA!", Kagome yelled out as she rushed to their bodies, reaching her hand out and realizing they had substance.

Sesshoumaru reached down and touched the bodies of Rin and his mother, realizing the same thing as Kagome. He also realized,

'_They are alive_.', he thought with relief.

Kagome came to the same realization, as she voiced,

"Lucky for you, they're alive.", she said to Xiu Lang.

Xiu Lang stared at her suspiciously,

"You are a goddess yet you are concerned about two mere half-demons?", he asked her.

"I told you, I am not a goddess. I'm more a demi-goddess.", she replied off-handedly.

"You cannot possibly be the reincarnation of Chang-E, the moon goddess! She would have no concern over mere half-demons! You may look like her but you are an IMPOSTOR!"

* * *

**_Author's note: Yea, I'm back! Woo Hoo! Hope you either remembered the story or had time to re-read. Chapter 17 will be up in a few days, I promise. Really. I mean it. I Swear!_**


	17. The Wind

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

**Chapter 17**

**The Wind**

Kagome stood up slowly at Xiu Lang's accusations,

"I never SAID I was Chang-E! I told you I was not.", she angrily spoke.

The small man started to quiver at her anger but straightened himself up and stood his ground,

"How can you have the Triforce if you are not Chang-E? Only she can use the Triforce of Energy! Hand it over to me!"

"I will do no such thing, little man! I demand that you restore these people to the way they were!", she started to approach Xiu Lang, her body and the Triforce beginning to glow.

"I will do no such thing! I will, however, restore Chiyou's soul to his body and I will destroy the impostor!", he cried out, lifting his left hand in the air and opening his palm,

Kagome's eyes widened as Sesshoumaru sped to the demon's side, grabbing his left hand with his right,

"You will do as Kagome commands!", Sesshoumaru demanded as he lifted the man off the ground by his left arm, "Or I will destroy you!"

"You do that and these people will never be revived! HAHAHAHA!", the demon cackled, evilly.

"Sesshoumaru, please ...", Kagome pleaded with the daiyoukai, "Don't make this any worse."

Sesshoumaru dropped the pitiful demon on the ground. Xiu Lang stood up and started to laugh evilly again,

"Thank you for your kindness.", he spoke, sarcastically, "But, I did not need your help. I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!", he screamed, as lightning bolts flew from his hands.

The air sizzled with electricity, setting trees and plains afire. The bolts merely fizzled around Sesshoumaru but Kagome could feel the intensity of the attack. Summoning power from deep within, she flung her right hand out, sending waves of energy rolling through the air, clashing with the demon's lightning attack and dissipating it. Xiu Lang merely laughed,

"You have that power only because of the Triforce. Without it, you are nothing but an ordinary mortal.", he cackled.

"Oh really?", Kagome responded, sarcastically.

"That Triforce belonged to Chang-E. You stole it and her power. I thought you were her incarnation but, how stupid could I have been? A goddess never dies. How to you get that ornament, witch?", he demanded.

Sesshoumaru merely stood by and observed. Kagome felt his eyes on her. He was watching her. Testing her. Just like he would observe Inuyasha. And Shinta. He wanted to see just what she had and how she reacted to this situation. She breathed deeply and cursed him,

_'Obstinate son of a bitch.'_

Now she understood why Inuyasha grew so angry at him.

"If you must know," she started to respond, "It was given to me by the Wind God, Kazemaru. Not that it's any of your business."

Xiu Lang just grinned, "Never heard of him. That means he must be a very weak god. And that also means your powers are **NOTHING**!", he raised his voice as more lightning flew off his body.

Kagome stood her ground and eyed him cockily,

"Oh yeah? Well, just **TRY ME**!"

Her right arm flew out again. This time, however, mixed with the god-like energy came Kagome's powerful priestess energy. The explosive force flew threw the air, obliterating Xiu Lang's lightning attack and proceeded to continue toward the demon,

'_Wher … just where is that power from?_', he thought to himself, as he surround his body with a protective barrier.

Kagome's energy surged and crackled around the demon's barrier, almost destroying it,

'_This … this is the power of a holy person.',_ Xiu Lang felt his body tremble, '_Does this mean …?'_

"I DON'T FEEL LIKE **TOYING** WITH YOU, DAMMIT!", Kagome yelled, her face flushed with anger, "I'LL KILL YOU! RETURN THE SOULS OF THESE PEOPLE AT ONCE!"

"I WILL NEVER RESTORE THEM. I WILL TAKE THEIR SOULS WITH ME TO THE NETHERWORD. KILL ME IF YOU LIKE, WOMAN!", Xiu Lang, yelled at her over the roar of the crackling energy.

Kagome pulled back her anger and stopped her attack and began to plead,

"PLEASE! You must restore them. You're our only hope.", her voice cracked.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes over Kagome's change,

_'Inuyasha. What do you see in this creature? The gods have bestowed her with such power yet, she is_ _still so weak_.', he thought to himself, '_She faces certain death yet she still is more concerned about others. I am glad I have no such weakness. That is what makes me superior to you.'_

Xiu Lang began cackling again,

"WOMAN! You don't understand. You attacked me. I will never restore them no matter what you do or say.", his evil laugh echoed in the surrounding air.

Kagome felt her skin crawl, her body sweat and shake as her anger over his arrogance shook her to the core. She felt the tears fall as her eyes fell on the lifeless bodies of her beloved and her son. The demon's evil laughter hit over her again like a ton of bricks,

"Since you will not attack me … then **I WILL KILL YOU**!", he screamed, hurling his entire demonic energy into his lightning bolts.

_'I'm sorry Inuyasha. I'm sorry, Shinta. But I must live for the other children. I cannot leave them alone. I know this is what you would want.'_

The bolts of electricity came flying through the air towards their mark. Kagome turned her head to face Xiu Lang and simply stated, almost Inuyasha-like,

"DIE!"

Sesshoumaru slowly opened his eyes at her command and witnessed her explosive energies rip Xiu Lang and his protective barrier to shreds,

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!", came the demon's anguished screams as his body blew apart.

Sesshoumaru turned his head to face Kagome,

"You destroyed him. Our only link to revive them and our only link to get back to our world.", he stated plainly to her.

She sensed his mood. The statement was more of a question. A curiosity,

"He stated he wouldn't assist anyway.", she waved her hand to dismiss the statement, "I cannot die alongside Inuyasha and Shinta. I refuse to orphan my children in the Feudal Era."

She turned and walked towards the bodies of her husband and son,

_'I refuse to believe he was the only way, Sesshoumaru.'_, she thought, '_But, I know you don't want that kind of an answer.'_

She laid her hand on Inuyasha's arm,

'_What do I do? There has to be something else. Something we're … __**I'm**__ missing_.'

Suddenly, she felt the wind swirl around her. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds entering the old building. The rustling of trees … the whistle of the river reeds … the voice on the wind …

'_WAIT_!', her eyes flew open, '_A VOICE ON THE WIND_?'

Her body turned around quickly and her eyes searched the room,

'_NOTHING_!', she cursed, '_Then ... what?_'

She closed her eyes again,

'_OUTSIDE_!', she thought, as she urged her body to leave the room where the bodies lay.

Reaching the outside, all the sounds floating through the hallway became louder. The trees. The river reeds. The voice.

The voice.

"KAZEMARU?", she yelled out.

She heard no clear response. Then the voice. Again.

Sesshoumaru followed Kagome outside, curious as to her actions. He gazed at her steadily.

Kagome closed her eyes. That voice. She knew that voice. But, from where?

'_It's not … it's not male …',_ she thought, '_It's … it's …. could it be? No … it can't be … she's … she's dead …'_

The feminine voice became clearer and closer. Almost like it floated on air. The voice. Her voice. The Wind.

"The answer you seek is beside you."

The voice was clear now. Perfectly. And not just to Kagome. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened at the sound of the silky smooth voice. He turned his head to face the owner of the voice. For only the second time in his life, his heart skipped a beat. Or maybe even two. His voice was barely a whisper as he spoke,

"Kagura."

* * *

_Author's Note: HAHAHAHAHA! How's THAT for a turn of events? Review and let me know!_


	18. Sesshoumaru

**My Fair Hanyou**

_Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha._

_All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz_

_All original characters belong to me._

**Chapter 18**

**Sesshoumaru**

"Kagura.", Kagome stated, plainly, as if she found the deceased demon's presence amusing, "HMPH!

Why not? With everything else that has happened."

"You don't seem too surprised, Kagome.", Kagura spoke haughtily, "Were you expecting me?"

"No. But, I'd rather have YOU show up then Naraku. That would be a double bitch.", Kagome sighed,

as she seated herself on the ground.

Sesshoumaru recovered, "Why are you … HOW are you here?", he quizzed her.

"Nice to see you too, Sesshoumaru. It's been a long time.", Kagura purred.

"Get on with it and answer me!", his voice was just slightly demanding.

She waved her closed fan in exasperation, "Oh, alright. Kazemaru sent me."

Kagome's head flew up and her eyes opened wide, "KAZEMARU?", she yelled as she jumped to her

feet, "WHY?"

"You wish to know how to save those people and return to your worlds?", Kagura asked, almost

teasingly.

"There's a way?", Kagome's voice was barely a whisper.

Kagura smiled, "Oh, yes, there is a way.", her voice oozed sex appeal as she faced Sesshoumaru, "If

HE wants it bad enough."

Kagome turned to face her brother-in-law, "HIM?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, "It is up to ME?", he asked.

"Oh, most definitely.", Kagura replied, "You and only you hold the key to the lives of those inside."

"How?", Kagome insisted.

"Easy. This that you see is all an illusion.", Kagura spoke.

"An illusion?", repeated Sesshoumaru.

"Yes," Kagura agreed, "Destroy the illusion and you will restore the truth."

"But, how do we, I mean, does he destroy the illusion?", asked Kagome,her voice impatient.

"Find the mirror.", she stated simply.

Kagome just stared at Kagura as Sesshoumaru turned quickly on his heel and entered the castle,

disappearing in the darkness. Kagura began to laugh evilly,

"Although I doubt Inuyasha will survive.", she stated, in a wicked tone.

Kagome stared at her, anger showing in her face,

"What do you mean, you doubt Inuyasha will survive?"

"Simple. For the illusion to be destroyed and truth restored to all the lives, Sesshoumaru must have a

caring heart for each one. For if he does not, that person will not be restored to life."

Kagome turned and faced the dark castle as the wind kicked up around her. She realized Kagura was

gone. She started running into the castle,

"SESSHOUMARU! DON'T DO IT!"

Her voice echoed off the walls. The whole place was dark, unlike before, when she realized she was in

a sort of maze. She tried to scream,

"SESS …."

'_My voice. It's gone._', she realized, '_NO! It can't be. I have to save them_!'

Suddenly, light appeared and she saw Sesshoumaru walking away from her. She tried to follow but,

**BAM!**

She realized she walked into a pane of glass. She tried to scream again,

"Sess ...", Nothing.

She saw another light and another figure of Sesshoumaru walking away. Slower this time she tried to

follow, only to hit another pane of glass. Her voice still refused to work. This happened again and

again, time after time, until Kagome began pounding on the glass so hard she was positive it would

shatter. Then, out of the base of her solar plexus came a blood curdling cry,

"**INUYASHA!**"

Kagome felt the wind swirl around her like a cyclone. Clouds of positive, negative,

demonic ,and spiritual energy all juxtaposed around a massive cyclone with lightning, thunder and fire

surrounding her. She clung tightly to herself for protection and then she felt it. The strong arms of

someone holding her back as the world went black.


End file.
